Establishing the Digital Health Equity & Literacy Program (D-HELP): a student-led initiative to address digital health literacy gaps among emergency department patients at rush

Objective To describe the development and early implementation of the Digital Health Equity & Literacy Program (D-HELP), a student-led quality improvement initiative to promote digital health engagement in the emergency department (ED). Materials and Methods Trained student volunteers at Rush University Medical Center delivered in-person education on Epic MyChart and Rush On Demand telehealth services in English and Spanish. Eligible adult patients were identified through the EHR and engaged when clinically appropriate. Results Over 4 months, 94 patients were approached, with 64 (68%) patients receiving some level of intervention. Volunteers documented encounter type, interpreter use, and unsolicited patient feedback. MyChart invitations were sent to 27 patients, with 7 registering on-site. Conclusion D-HELP demonstrated feasibility, flexibility, and strong patient receptiveness in the ED setting. The model’s low-resource, student-driven design supports scalability and provides a framework for expanding digital health literacy initiatives across diverse clinical settings while addressing social determinants of digital access.