Marc Ringel co-wrote a chapter in Digital Respiratory Healthcare, a book published in 2023 by the European Respiratory Society. The chapter, "Leave no Community Behind,” is about engaging community members in planning and implementing respiratory healthcare services. Marc’s contribution drew on his experience working as a physician researcher with community groups in rural Colorado.
It can be viewed using this link: ERS Books
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Corresponding author: Jay Evans (Jay.Evans@ed.ac.uk)
Digital solutions supporting respiratory health are frequently used across Europe, the UK and North America. The design approaches used in digital health have a significant impact on health equity. In this chapter, we seek to understand how digital design methods, particularly human-centred design, can promote inclusion of disadvantaged populations by considering them holistically. We also examine how digital health inequities in respiratory health may be exacerbated in rural and rural remote settings. A narrative is presented discussing approaches that have addressed gaps in health equity and fostered positive environments for co-design with communities of stakeholders. Discussion about the importance of digital design in lowering barriers to health equity is ongoing. However, in practice, the rapid deployment of digital health solutions takes precedence over design considerations. Research priorities must focus on understanding the impact that design in digital health tools to support respiratory health has on health equity.
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Hansen, C., Ringel, M,. Evans, L, Evans, J. Leave no community behind. InPinnock, H.,Poberezhets, V.,andDrummond, D., eds.Digital Respiratory Healthcare(ERS Monograph). European Respiratory Society. Sheffield (England) 2023, 95-106.https://doi.org/10.1183/2312508X.10001123
