Translating Ethnographic Evidence into Digital Health Communication Tools to Improve Preventive Healthcare Engagement Among Marginalised Communities

Author

Desmond Barry


Abstract

 Preventive healthcare engagement depends on whether people can access, understand and act on information within their everyday circumstances. Marginalised communities may face barriers involving language, institutional trust, service navigation and unequal digital access. This proposed study will examine how ethnographic evidence can inform digital communication tools that support participation in preventive care. Observation, interviews and communication mapping will explore experiences of screening, vaccination and other preventive services within a defined community setting. Residents, community organisations and healthcare practitioners will jointly interpret findings and prioritise communication needs. Co-design will translate these insights into accessible prototypes, such as mobile appointment guides, audiovisual explanations and interactive service information. Usability and comprehension testing will guide refinement before pilot implementation. Evaluation will assess reach, understanding, navigation and completion of preventive healthcare actions, with comparisons across relevant access groups. Qualitative feedback will examine trust, acceptability and unintended exclusion. The study will distinguish communication-related improvements from changes requiring service redesign. Its contribution will be a documented pathway linking lived experience to digital tool development and evaluation, with evidence to guide equitable adaptation and further testing in comparable settings.



Keywords

Ethnographic evidence, digital health communication, preventive healthcare, marginalised communities, participatory co-design, health equity.



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References


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