This article appeared on Care and ICT and Dutch Health Hub in the context of the Healthcare and ICT fair. Text: Agnes Zuiker

The gap between digitally skilled and less skilled people is unfair and leads to growing healthcare inequality. Merlijne Sonneveld, founder and director of Helpdesk Digitale Zorg, emphasizes that millions of Dutch people have difficulty with digital healthcare applications such as patient portals and health apps. As a result, they benefit less from the advantages of digital healthcare, which leads to health differences.

According to Merlijne Sonneveld, more solidarity is necessary. “There will always be people who cannot arrange their care online. They will always continue to rely on physical care, while it is under enormous pressure due to the acute shortages.”

Sonneveld will participate in the session 'Health differences, does digital care offer a solution' at Zorg & ict, just like Marjo Visser from VGZ and Joris van Eijck from GelijkGezond. The session will take place on the Tech Mainstage on Tuesday 8 April at 11 am. Register for free access.

Digital self-reliance
She calls it 'a positive development' that more and more people can use e-health and that digital self-reliance is being stimulated. "That is why we need to support people in their digital self-reliance and make digital care accessible to everyone." With her background in healthcare, Sonneveld founded the Helpdesk Digital Care foundation in 2022, together with Tergooi MC, GP organisation RHOGO and Amaris Zorggroep. "My foster child made me realise that digital skills are not self-evident, not even for people who can shop or game online. Digital care requires very different skills than ordering something from a webshop."

Blessings
“Digitalization has many blessings,” she continues, “but there are also less pleasant sides to it. Of course it is great if you develop all sorts of things, but if you forget that there is a large group of people who are less digitally skilled, you miss your target. We assume that everyone can keep up, but in practice that is not the case. Last year we were called about 40,000 times by people who needed our help.”

Not only the elderly
Sonneveld emphasizes that these are not just the 'usual suspects', such as the elderly or the low-literate. "No, there are plenty of people who are quite digitally skilled, but get stressed because they have problems entering their DigiD, or because they are asked whether they have an iOS or Android phone, and an NFC reader. Do you know what that is? And then there is often an hourglass on the screen ticking away the time. Then those people also lose their self-confidence."

Healthcare inequality
The director points out the consequences of digital disadvantage. “A digitally skilled patient can scan a skin lesion and take immediate action. Someone without these skills often postpones a visit to the doctor, which reduces the chance of an early diagnosis. That contributes to healthcare inequality.”

Low-threshold support
Helpdesk Digital Care offers low-threshold support to healthcare institutions and their patients. The participating hospitals, GP organisations, health centres and mental health institutions will receive their own landing page with explanations about the digital care applications they offer, instructions about their specific care apps and answers to frequently asked questions.

In addition, there are more than a hundred manuals available in twenty languages. Patients who still get stuck can call a service desk employee of Helpdesk Digital Care, who will guide them step by step. "This reduces the workload of healthcare professionals and creates more time for physical care," says Sonneveld.

Essential player
Her foundation has now positioned itself as a unique and necessary player in the healthcare market, says the director. “Thanks to Helpdesk Digital Care, healthcare professionals can focus primarily on patients who really need physical care. By promoting self-reliance, we increase the accessibility of digital care and reduce the pressure on the healthcare sector.”