How can you ensure healthcare providers are sensitive to patients' technology literacy?

2 Advocate for accessible and inclusive technology

As a patient advocate, it is your responsibility to ensure that healthcare providers offer accessible and inclusive technology options for your clients. This means that the technology should be available and affordable, compatible and interoperable with their devices and platforms, user-friendly and intuitive, responsive and reliable, and secure and private. To ensure these criteria are met, you can provide feedback to healthcare providers, request alternative or additional technology options, and report any issues or concerns.

3 Educate your clients and healthcare providers

To ensure healthcare providers are sensitive to patients' technology literacy, it is important to educate both your clients and the providers about the importance and benefits of technology for health outcomes. You can do this by providing your clients with resources and tools to enhance their technology literacy and skills, encouraging them to ask questions, and informing healthcare providers about their technology literacy and expectations. Additionally, sharing best practices and evidence-based strategies for using technology effectively and ethically in healthcare settings can be beneficial. Celebrating and rewarding your clients' and healthcare providers' achievements in technology literacy will also help foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and innovation in healthcare.

4 Monitor and evaluate the impact of technology

Finally, you can ensure healthcare providers are sensitive to patients' technology literacy by monitoring and evaluating the impact of technology on your clients' health and well-being. This includes tracking and measuring technology use and satisfaction, as well as soliciting and analyzing feedback from clients and healthcare providers about their experiences. Additionally, it is important to identify and address any gaps, barriers, or risks that may arise from technology use or misuse. Furthermore, recommend and implement changes or improvements to the technology services or policies, while recognizing and celebrating the positive effects of technology on your clients' health. By monitoring and evaluating the impact of technology, you can ensure that it is serving your clients' best interests and needs, while making sure healthcare providers are responsive and accountable.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?