Progress towards enhanced access and use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A need to be mindful of the continued digital divide for many rural and northern communities
Summary. COVID-19 accelerated technology adoption in rural and northern areas, but widened the digital divide for many residents. Older adults increased their technology use, and organizations deployed new tools for healthcare, social engagement, and caregiver support. The paper examines strategies to bridge this divide and recommends that policymakers leverage pandemic lessons to ensure rural and northern communities gain lasting benefits from technology access and close persistent digital gaps.
Cite this article
Freeman, S., Marston, H. R., Ross, C., Morgan, D., Wilson, G., Gates, J., Kolochuk, S., & McAloney, R.. (2022). Progress towards enhanced access and use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A need to be mindful of the continued digital divide for many rural and northern communities. Healthcare Management Forum. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704221108314
Freeman, Shannon, et al. “Progress towards enhanced access and use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A need to be mindful of the continued digital divide for many rural and northern communities.” Healthcare Management Forum, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704221108314.
Freeman, Shannon, Hannah R. Marston, Christopher Ross, Deborah Morgan, Gemma Wilson, Jessica Gates, Stefani Kolochuk, and Richard McAloney. 2022. “Progress towards enhanced access and use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A need to be mindful of the continued digital divide for many rural and northern communities.” Healthcare Management Forum. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704221108314.
@article{freeman-2022-progress-towards-enhanced-access-use,
title = {Progress towards enhanced access and use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A need to be mindful of the continued digital divide for many rural and northern communities},
author = {Shannon Freeman and Hannah R. Marston and Christopher Ross and Deborah Morgan and Gemma Wilson and Jessica Gates and Stefani Kolochuk and Richard McAloney},
journal = {Healthcare Management Forum},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1177/08404704221108314},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704221108314}
}
TY - JOUR TI - Progress towards enhanced access and use of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A need to be mindful of the continued digital divide for many rural and northern communities AU - Shannon Freeman AU - Hannah R. Marston AU - Christopher Ross AU - Deborah Morgan AU - Gemma Wilson AU - Jessica Gates AU - Stefani Kolochuk AU - Richard McAloney JO - Healthcare Management Forum PY - 2022 DO - 10.1177/08404704221108314 UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704221108314 ER -
Details
- DOI
- 10.1177/08404704221108314
- Countries
- Canada
- Regions
- North America
- Categories
- broadband-and-digital, rural-healthcare, policy
- Added
- 2026-04-28