Accessibility of Digital Health and Welfare Services Among Immigrants in Finland

Abstract

Digital health and welfare services support the delivery of the services. However, the health benefits are mixed at the population level, and further research is needed to better understand the driving factors of healthcare inequalities, particularly among vulnerable subgroups, e.g., immigrants. This qualitative study aimed to understand equality in service accessibility among immigrants, especially from the informational, experiential, and institutional perspectives. Five focus group interviews were conducted for immigrants. Data was analysed with deductive content analysis. Barriers for informational accessibility included linguistic challenges and inadequate digital literacy (DL); for experiential accessibility, usability challenges and disrespectful phone services; for institutional accessibility, challenges with electronic authentication identification for personalized digital services. Facilitators for the use of digital health and welfare services included linguistic improvements of services and support for DL. Further research, including interventions with participatory design and linguistic and digital support, is needed to improve accessibility of digital services for immigrants.