IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON HEALTHCARE ACCESS AND HEALTH OUTCOMES IN RURAL POPULATIONS

Muhammad Israr, Khan Bilal Akbar Hayat Khan Niazi, Ayesha Khan, Aftab Ahmed Kandhro, Muhammad Zeeshan Ahmed, Farhan Muhammad Qureshi, S. Mehboob · 2025 · Insights-Journal of Life and Social Sciences

Summary. Rural populations in Pakistan face severe digital health disparities that directly harm health outcomes. The study found that 72.5% had primary education or less, 39.2% owned smartphones, and only 28.3% had home internet access. Participants with higher digital literacy reported significantly better health scores. Digital exclusion, dependency on others for access, and preference for face-to-face care emerged as major barriers. Bridging this divide requires integrated efforts in infrastructure, education, and policy reform.

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@article{israr-2025-impact-digital-divide-healthcare-access,
  title   = {IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON HEALTHCARE ACCESS AND HEALTH OUTCOMES IN RURAL POPULATIONS},
  author  = {Muhammad Israr and Khan Bilal Akbar Hayat Khan Niazi and Ayesha Khan and Aftab Ahmed Kandhro and Muhammad Zeeshan Ahmed and Farhan Muhammad Qureshi and S. Mehboob},
  journal = {Insights-Journal of Life and Social Sciences},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.71000/1x6vth66},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.71000/1x6vth66}
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON HEALTHCARE ACCESS AND HEALTH OUTCOMES IN RURAL POPULATIONS
AU  - Muhammad Israr
AU  - Khan Bilal Akbar Hayat Khan Niazi
AU  - Ayesha Khan
AU  - Aftab Ahmed Kandhro
AU  - Muhammad Zeeshan Ahmed
AU  - Farhan Muhammad Qureshi
AU  - S. Mehboob
JO  - Insights-Journal of Life and Social Sciences
PY  - 2025
DO  - 10.71000/1x6vth66
UR  - https://doi.org/10.71000/1x6vth66
ER  - 

Details

DOI

10.71000/1x6vth66

Countries

Pakistan

Regions

Asia

Categories

broadband-and-digital, rural-healthcare, policy, general-innovation

Added

2026-04-29