Yazar
Meltem ÇİÇEKLİOĞLU
Prof. Dr. Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Halk Sağlığı AD (ORCID No: 0000-0002-7059-7573)

Özet

  • Dijitalleşmenin sağlık alanındaki yansımaları son yıllarda hızla artarken, dijital sağlık ve dijital halk sağlığı kavramları daha fazla gündeme gelmiştir. Dijital araçların halk sağlığı alanında kullanımı, özellikle COVID-19 pandemisiyle birlikte ivme kazanmış; temaslı takibi, epidemiyolojik izlem ve sağlık iletişimi gibi temel halk sağlığı işlevlerinde yoğun biçimde kullanılmıştır. Ancak bu yaygın kullanım, dijital teknolojilerin halk sağlığına katkısının tartışmasız olduğu varsayımını da beraberinde getirmiştir. Oysa, dijital halk sağlığı müdahalelerinin dijital uçurum, veri güvensizliği, etik sorunlar ve kullanıcıların dışlayıcı biçimde tanımlanması gibi çok katmanlı eşitsizlikler üretebildiği literatürde sıkça belirtilmektedir. Dijital halk sağlığı uygulamalarının çoğu bireysel davranış değişikliğine odaklanırken, toplumsal belirleyiciler ve yapısal eşitsizlikler çoğu zaman göz ardı edilmektedir. Dahası, bu uygulamaların değerlendirilmesine ilişkin standart, çok boyutlu ve bağlama duyarlı modellerin eksikliği de önemli bir sorun alanı olarak öne çıkmaktadır. Halk sağlığının geleneksel işlevlerinin (örneğin, epidemiyolojik gözetim, politika geliştirme, kaynak tahsisi) dijital araçlarla nasıl eşleştirilebileceği açıklığa kavuşturulsa da, bu eşleştirmelerin toplum yararını önceleyen kamusal bir perspektifle gerçekleştirilmesi oldukça önemlidir ve halk sağlığı uzmanlarının sorumluluğudur.  

Summary

  • The implications of digitalization in the field of health have rapidly increased in recent years, bringing the concepts of digital health and digital public health to the forefront. The use of digital tools in the field of public health gained momentum especially with the COVID-19 pandemic; these tools were extensively used in fundamental public health functions such as contact tracing, epidemiological surveillance, and health communication. However, this widespread use has also brought with it the assumption that digital technologies’ contribution to public health is unquestionable. Yet, it is frequently stated in the literature that digital public health interventions can generate multilayered inequalities such as the digital divide, data insecurity, ethical problems, and the exclusionary framing of users. Most digital public health applications focus on individual behavior change, while often ignoring social determinants and structural inequalities. Moreover, the lack of standardized, multidimensional, and context-sensitive models for the evaluation of these applications emerges as a significant problem area. Although it has been clarified how traditional public health functions (e.g., epidemiological surveillance, policy development, resource allocation) can be matched with digital tools, it is crucial that these matches are carried out from a public-interest-oriented, collective perspective. Ensuring such a perspective is the responsibility of public health professionals.   

Anahtar Sözcükler / Keywords

  • TR: Dijital Halk Sağlığı, Dijital Sağlık Teknolojileri, Sağlıkta Sosyal eşitsizlikler
    EN: Digital Public Health, Digital Health Technologies, Social Inequalities in Health

Kaynaklar / References

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Geliş Tarihi / Received Date

  • 29.06.2025

Kabul Tarihi / Accepted Date

  • 15.07.2025