Azeezat, aged 30, has diabetes and is expecting her second child. She faced complications during her initial pregnancy, leading to a challenging birth experience. English is not her primary language, and to add to the complexity, her partner has recently lost their job.
Azeezat is reliant on a mobile device and limited data which limits her ability to fully benefit from her diabetic sensor.
The maternity app Azeezat has been given should support her with her pregnancy. However, she finds the app very complicated to use, and the information is not clear or written in plain language, making it difficult for her to grasp crucial details.
The family does not have a computer and in addition reading hospital letters on a small screen is challenging.
Meet Azeezat
Arjun, aged 41, has always got the most up to date technology and until recently has been able to access any digital health and care he has needed. Arjun has recently experienced a major stroke, impacting various aspects of his life, including his cognition, dexterity, mobility, speech, and income.
Now Arjun can not independently access his GP, occupational therapy, physio, or use the stroke rehabilitation app and other health and care technology without significant support and adaptations.
He wants to maintain his independence and privacy and tries assistive technologies, but these do not work consistently well with all the apps he needs to support him.
Meet Arjun
Maddy, aged 18, has a background of mental health issues. She has encountered difficulties in accessing health and care services, reducing her trust in them. Currently not enrolled in college and unemployed, Maddy finds herself sofa surfing, posing a further risk to her mental health and well-being.
Maddy has limited privacy, which affects her ability to communicate openly with her support worker online.
She has a mobile phone, but limited data, which she uses for social media and connecting with friends.
Her data allowance will not allow her to download and run the recommended apps that may support her mental health, so instead she seeks information from other unofficial sources.
Meet Maddy
Our research suggests that, at any given moment, anyone can be vulnerable to be and to feel excluded from digital health and care.
We can face exclusion at various stages of our journey with digital health and care pathways, services and technologies and due to various and interconnected barriers to inclusion.
