%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-326X
%I JMIR Publications
%V 5
%N 11
%P e30605
%T A Program to Improve Digital Access and Literacy Among Community Stakeholders: Cohort Study
%A Drazich,Brittany F
%A Nyikadzino,Yeukai
%A Gleason,Kelly T
%+ School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, 525 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States, 1 3023530657, bdrazich@umaryland.edu
%K technology
%K disparities
%K digital access
%K digital literacy
%K community
%K stakeholders
%K digital health
%K digital divide
%K patient-centered outcomes
%D 2021
%7 10.11.2021
%9 Early Report
%J JMIR Form Res
%G English
%X Background: For many research teams, the role of community stakeholders is critical. However, community stakeholders, especially those in low-income settings, are at risk of being excluded from research and community engagement initiatives during and after the COVID-19 pandemic because of the rapid transition to digital operations.  Objective: We aimed to describe the implementation and feasibility of a program called Addressing the Digital Divide to Improve Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, which was designed to address barriers to technology use, and to examine changes in participants’ perceived comfort with digital technology before and after the program.  Methods: To promote full engagement, we worked with 20 existing community leaders to cocreate a training course on using digital technology. We assessed the frequency of technology use and comfort with technology through an adapted 8-item version of the Functional Assessment of Comfort Employing Technology Scale and used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for survey analysis. We also conducted a focus group session with 10 participants and then performed reflective journaling and content analysis to determine emergent themes.  Results: We found that the program was feasible to implement and worthwhile for participants (15/16, 94%). After the program, the participants perceived an increase in the frequency of technology use (z=2.76, P=.006). The participants reported that the program was successful because of the technology training program, but recommended that the program have a slower pace and include a helpline number that they could call with questions.  Conclusions: Future programs should consider that populations with low literacy view technology training as a core element to decreasing technology disparity. This study demonstrates that through low-cost input, community members can be provided the resources and training needed to virtually participate in research studies or community engagement initiatives.  
%M 34757316
%R 10.2196/30605
%U https://formative.jmir.org/2021/11/e30605
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/30605
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34757316