Impact of broadband availability and digital literacy on video telehealth use among cancer patients.
retrospective_cohort · Level III
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41634122.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41746-026-02397-9 and PMC identifier 12976117.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Video telehealth visits (VTV) have emerged as a critical tool for oncology care delivery, with potential to address longstanding access disparities. We examined the association between broadband internet availability, individual digital literacy factors, and VTV utilization among patients with cancer. In a retrospective cohort of 13,897 patients across a multi-site practice, VTV utilization was significantly lower in areas with ≤1 internet service provider (ISP) offering download speeds ≥25 Mbps (p = 0.0009). Validation in a regional cohort (n = 6665) confirmed lower VTV utilization in low-broadband areas. Among 1134 surveyed patients, higher digital literacy was the strongest predictor of VTV use (OR 2.5; p < 0.001), even where broadband was limited. This study demonstrates that while both broadband availability and digital literacy independently influence VTV utilization, individual digital skills can partially offset structural limitations, underscoring the need for concurrent investment in broadband infrastructure and targeted digital literacy initiatives to advance access to care.