Complex role of individual digital skills and eHealth policies in shaping health policy

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted individuals' physical and mental health worldwide. Using data from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and a comparative approach across European countries, this study investigates the potential protective effect of individual digital skills and eHealth policies in mitigating the pandemic health effects. Our analysis exploits a within-between random effects approach and shows that individuals with null or poor digital skills have a 2.4% higher likelihood of experiencing a worsening health status and a 4% higher probability of experiencing mental health issues. At the same time, living in countries characterized by high levels of digitalization minimizes the probability of worsening health status in a range between 1% and 2.7%. The protective effect of eHealth policies on mental health status is much stronger. However, the relationship between digital skills and health outcomes is influenced by the country-specific level of digitalization. Indeed, the impact of having poor digital skills is more substantial if one lives in a country where eHealth is widespread. These results show that the rapid advancement of healthcare digitalization could exacerbate healthcare inequality unless accompanied by the development of digital skills among the population.