Bibliometric Insight in the Era of COVID-19  into Telehealth and the Digital Divide Using Structuration Theory

Walter Matli

doi:10.25159/2663-659X/14502

Authors

Walter Matli University of South Africa, School of Business Leadership https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3440-900X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/14502

Keywords:

Telehealth, Digital divide, COVID-19, Structuration Theory

Abstract

In the recent literature on telehealth amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of access to telehealth services has been recognised for its strategic organisational benefits to both health professionals and patients. Yet the available literature lacks a bibliometric approach and a broad analysis to highlight trends from existing literature. Against this backdrop, and guided by Giddens’s theory of structuration, this study uses a bibliometric approach and analysis that sheds light on the patterns, trends, and narratives within the scientific literature that pertain to the subject, specifically the intricate interplay between telehealth and the digital divide during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article’s helicopter view of telehealth and the digital divide, underpinned by the bedrock of structuration theory, not only augments our understanding of the telehealth landscape but also maps a trajectory toward a more equitable and inclusive future of healthcare access and delivery.

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