Willingness to Use Digital Health Tools in Patient Care Among Health Care Professionals and Students at a University Hospital in Saudi Arabia: Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey

Healthcare professionals' willingness to utilize a mobile health application for adverse drug reaction reporting in a limited resource setting: An input for digital health, 2023

Background

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant public health concern, particularly in limited resource settings where underreporting is prevalent due to various challenges. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) offer a promising solution to enhance pharmacovigilance by facilitating easier and more efficient ADR reporting. However, despite the increasing availability and use of mHealth apps, there is a lack of evidence on healthcare professionals' willingness to adopt them for ADR reporting in resource-constrained environments. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the willingness of healthcare professionals in Ethiopia to utilize mobile health applications for adverse drug reaction reporting and identify associated factors.

Methods

We carried out a cross-sectional study involving 422 healthcare professionals working in institutional settings. We gathered data through a pretested questionnaire that participants completed themselves. We inputted the data using Epi Data V.4.6 and analyzed it using SPSS V.26. Our analysis involved conducting multivariable logistic regression to identify the factors influencing the likelihood of healthcare professionals using mobile applications to report adverse drug reactions.

Results

The study involved 389 healthcare professionals. Approximately 301 (77.4 %) of them expressed willingness to utilize mobile applications for reporting adverse drug reactions. The willingness to utilize mobile applications was significantly associated with the type of mobile phone (smart: AOR 3.56; 95 % CI 2.15-5.67), basic computer training (AOR 4.43; 95 % CI 2.27-8.64), mobile health-related training (AOR 1.96; 95 % CI 1.01-3.79), attitude (AOR 4.01; 95 % CI 2.19-7.35), perceived ease of use (AOR 2.91; 95 % CI 1.59-5.23), and perceived usefulness (AOR 2.10; 95 % CI 1.15-3.85).

Conclusions

Overall, there was a high proportion of healthcare professionals willing to use mobile devices for reporting drug adverse reactions. Their willingness correlated with factors such as the type of mobile phone, perceived ease of use, attitude, training, and perceived usefulness of mobile applications. With the increasing use of smartphones, motivation among healthcare professionals is rising. Basic computer and mHealth-related training are crucial for enhancing the acceptability of such applications and should be incorporated into future implementations. Taking these factors into account could offer insights into the design and implementation of mobile applications for adverse drug reactions in Ethiopia.

Breaking barriers: exploring physiotherapists' willingness and challenges in embracing telerehabilitation in a developing country

INTRODUCTION

Telerehabilitation (TR) is an innovative approach that can address the limited availability and restricted access to rehabilitation services, particularly during challenging times such as pandemics and natural disasters. This study focuses on understanding the desires, perceptions, and barriers that physiotherapists face when implementing TR in a developing country.

METHOD

The study was conducted with 219 physiotherapists residing in a developing country using a web-based survey on Google Docs.

RESULT

The findings revealed that a significant majority of physiotherapists (88.1%) recognized TR as a potential solution for individuals with physical problems during the pandemic. Additionally, 89.5% expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to receive consultations from different hospitals, indicating a positive perception of TR. However, the study also highlighted certain barriers that hindered the implementation of TR. Around 40.2% of physiotherapists reported having training deficiencies, suggesting a need for educational support in utilizing TR effectively. Furthermore, the analysis of demographic factors revealed interesting insights. It was noteworthy that the age and years of experience of physiotherapists had an impact on their willingness and adoption of TR.

CONCLUSION

The study reveals that physiotherapists in the developing country exhibit a positive attitude towards TR and recognize its potential benefits. However, various barriers, such as training deficiencies, need to be addressed to facilitate a broader adoption of TR in their practices. Overcoming these barriers is anticipated to heighten physiotherapists' readiness to embrace TR, ultimately enhancing the accessibility and delivery of rehabilitation services.

Assessing Telemedicine Competency Among Doctors in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background The use of telemedicine in contemporary healthcare has become essential, providing a novel method of delivering care, particularly in rural and underdeveloped areas. This study assesses the telemedicine awareness, knowledge, attitude, skills, and challenges among physicians working in tertiary care hospitals. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out with 100 doctors from diverse specialties at a tertiary care institution. The questionnaire evaluated five domains: telemedicine awareness and knowledge, telemedicine attitude, telemedicine technology skills, telemedicine utilization patterns, and perceived barriers and educational needs. Results The study indicated that 95% of participants were aware of telemedicine. However, knowledge gaps remained, particularly in legal and ethical concerns (50%) and international rules (40%). Eighty percent of respondents had a favorable opinion of telemedicine, and 85% thought it might improve patient care in rural regions. The proficiency level of telemedicine users was variable: 60% of them had previous experience, and 70% of them rated their proficiency as intermediate or better. According to utilization patterns, 50% of telemedicine users used it at least once a week, primarily for remote monitoring (30%) and video consultations (60%). The study found that 90% of respondents had a high demand for training and educational opportunities. The absence of infrastructure (65%), worries about data security (55%), and patient acceptability (30%) were the main obstacles found. It also highlighted how important it is to have defined policies and collaborate across disciplines. Conclusion The study identifies a good attitude toward telemedicine among doctors as well as a need for improved training and infrastructure. It is essential to tackle these requirements and obstacles in order to successfully incorporate telemedicine into healthcare systems.

Digital health competencies and affecting factors among healthcare professionals: additional findings from a systematic review

Introduction

In recent decades, nurses' and healthcare professionals' digital health competencies have emerged as key factors in enabling the digital healthcare transformation. Therefore, this review aims to describe the level of digital health competencies among nurses and healthcare professionals and the factors affecting them.

Methods

We performed an additional analysis of a database populated in our original systematic review by identifying the data set, evaluating its appropriateness to the research questions, and performing the data analysis. Four areas of digital health competencies among nurses and healthcare professionals emerged: 'self-rated competencies', 'psychological and emotional aspects toward the use of digital technologies', 'knowledge about digital technologies' and 'use of digital technologies'. Item scores and affecting factors have been extracted and classified into poor, moderate and good levels of digital health competencies; factors have been categorised and then summarised.

Results

'Use of digital technologies' was the area with the highest prevalence of poor-level scores, whereas the 'knowledge about digital technologies' had a good level of competence. Across categories, most of the items' scores reflected a moderate level of competence. The main factors affecting digital health competencies in nursing were being younger, more educated, having positive collegial nurse-physician relationships and participating in hospital business.

Discussion

Digital health competence might be further improved. Educators, policymakers and nurse managers should develop educational nursing programmes and opportunities by acting on the modifiable factors to develop digital health competencies.

Telehealth Consultation for Malaysian Citizens' Willingness to Pay Assessed by the Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice Method

Background

Re-envisioning healthcare in technology tools includes robust utilisation of telehealth, improvement in access, quality, care efficiencies and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services. In reality, the technology's potential to transform healthcare may be limited by the ability to pay for it. This study aims to estimate Malaysian citizens' willingness to pay (WTP) for telehealth consultations and determine the factors contributing to it. This is vital to inform decision-making about expansion, preferences and deployment of a pricing strategy for telehealth services.

Methods

A random sample of 220 adult Malaysians was surveyed using social network services (SNS). Three different WTP bid arrays were identified and each respondent received a randomly drawn bid price. The WTP fee for using the telehealth consultation for 30 min was measured and estimated using a Double-Bounded Dichotomous Choice (DBDC) and the Random Utility Logit Model.

Result

The median WTP was estimated to be RM58 (JPY2,198), RM78 (JPY2,956) for 132 respondents' willingness to use telehealth consultation and RM26 (JPY985) for 51 respondents who were unwilling. Further analysis found that WTP is correlated with the perception and willingness of the respondents to use it.

Conclusion

Despite most respondents being willing to pay for telehealth consultations, sociodemographic characteristics and affordability influenced the process of making decisions about WTP for telehealth consultation. This finding suggests that the private sector can play a crucial role in the deployment of telehealth. However, there may be a need to consider affordability and how to increase access and use of telehealth services.

Fostering Digital Health in Universities: An Experience of the First Junior Scientific Committee of the Brazilian Congress of Health Informatics

OBJECTIVES

Digital health (DH) is a revolution driven by digital technologies to improve health. Despite the importance of DH, curricular updates in healthcare university programs are scarce, and DH remains undervalued. Therefore, this report describes the first Junior Scientific Committee (JSC) focusing on DH at a nationwide congress, with the aim of affirming its importance for promoting DH in universities.

METHODS

The scientific committee of the Brazilian Congress of Health Informatics (CBIS) extended invitations to students engaged in health-related fields, who were tasked with organizing a warm-up event and a 4-hour session at CBIS. Additionally, they were encouraged to take an active role in a workshop alongside distinguished experts to map out the current state of DH in Brazil.

RESULTS

The warm-up event focused on the topic "Artificial intelligence in healthcare: is a new concept of health about to arise?" and featured remote discussions by three professionals from diverse disciplines. At CBIS, the JSC's inaugural presentation concentrated on delineating the present state of DH education in Brazil, while the second presentation offered strategies to advance DH, incorporating viewpoints from within and beyond the academic sphere. During the workshop, participants deliberated on the most crucial competencies for future professionals in the DH domain.

CONCLUSIONS

Forming a JSC proved to be a valuable tool to foster DH, particularly due to the valuable interactions it facilitated between esteemed professionals and students. It also supports the cultivation of leadership skills in DH, a field that has not yet received the recognition it deserves.

Factors, Barriers, and Recommendations Related to Mobile Health Acceptance among the Elderly in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

The use of mobile health (mHealth) is providing value to the elderly, but their acceptance of it is lower than in other age groups. Thus, this study aims to explore the factors influencing their intention to use mHealth and identify barriers and suggested solutions among elderly people aged 50+ years in Saudi Arabia, guided by the Healthcare Technology Acceptance Model (H-TAM). In this qualitative study, 14 elderly people (six females and eight males) were recruited. Participants were included if they were Saudi, aged 50+ years, and used smartphones. Participants were engaged in semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Peer review was conducted and saturation was reached to maintain rigor. Three major themes emerged: (1) factors affecting intention to use, (2) concerns and barriers, and (3) solutions and recommendations. Influenced factors were identified as perceived usefulness, perceived need, perceived ease of use, perceived benefits, familiarity, trust in technology, advice acceptance, facilitating conditions (family support), and compatibility. Older participants, particularly those with lower educational attainment, displayed less familiarity with mHealth. Lack of digital literacy, health and aging issues, worry about making mistakes, and social issues emerged as central barriers. Addressing these factors in the design and promotion of mHealth can enhance its successful adoption among the elderly.

Utilization of patient portals: a cross-sectional study investigating associations with mobile app quality

BACKGROUND

Mobile apps facilitate patients' access to portals and interaction with their healthcare providers. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend globally, but little evidence exists on patient portal usage in the Middle East, where internet access and digital literacy are limited. Our study aimed to explore how users utilize a patient portal through its related mobile app (MyChart by EPIC).

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of MyChart users, recruited from a tertiary care center in Lebanon. We collected MyChart usage patterns, perceived outcomes, and app quality, based on the Mobile Application Rating Scale (user version, uMARS), and sociodemographic factors. We examined associations between app usage, app quality, and sociodemographic factors using Pearson's correlations, Chi-square, ANOVA, and t-tests.

RESULTS

428 users completed the survey; they were primarily female (63%), aged 41.3 ± 15.6 years, with a higher education level (87%) and a relatively high crowding index of 1.4 ± 0.6. Most of the sample was in good and very good health (78%) and had no chronic illnesses (67%), and accessed the portal through MyChart once a month or less (76%). The most frequently used features were accessing health records (98%), scheduling appointments (67%), and messaging physicians (56%). According to uMARS completers (n = 200), the objective quality score was 3.8 ± 0.5, and the subjective quality was 3.6 ± 0.7. No significant association was found between overall app usage and the mobile app quality measured via uMARS. Moreover, app use frequency was negatively associated with education, socioeconomic status, and perceived health status. On the other hand, app use was positively related to having chronic conditions, the number of physician visits and subjective app quality.

CONCLUSION

The patient portal usage was not associated with app quality but with some of the participants' demographic factors. The app offers a user-friendly, good-quality interface to patient health records and physicians, appreciated chiefly by users with relatively low socioeconomic status and education. While this is encouraging, more research is needed to capture the usage patterns and perceptions of male patients and those with even lower education and socioeconomic status, to make patient portals more inclusive.

eHealth competence building for future doctors and nurses - Attitudes and capabilities

BACKGROUND

Digitalisation is rapidly changing health care processes and the health care sector, thus increasing the need to improve the digital competence of future health care professionals.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to describe the attitudes of medical and nursing students towards digital health based on self-evaluation as well as to compare the differences in perceptions between the two student groups.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted as an online survey using the Webropol in April 2021 at the University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences in Finland. The survey questionnaire consisted of seven background questions and 16 statements on a five-point Likert scale (fully disagree to fully agree) to survey student attitudes towards eHealth, and their digital capabilities.

RESULTS

A total of 250 medical and nursing students were invited to participate in the study and 170 of them took the survey (response rate 68 %). Of those answered, 38 % (n = 64) were nursing and 32 % (n = 106) medical students. Students generally had a positive attitude towards eHealth and health care digitalisation. The differences in perceptions and preparedness between medical and nursing students were surprisingly small in the two student groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in three out of 16 statements: these were related to changes in the roles of health care professionals and patients as well as the students' knowledge of information contained in the national patient portal.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study provide a good starting point for further harmonisation of the curriculum for both health professional groups regarding the teaching of eHealth and telemedicine.

Digital literacy level and associated factors among health professionals in a referral and teaching hospital: An implication for future digital health systems implementation

Background

In Ethiopia and other developing countries, electronic medical record systems and other health information technology are being introduced. However, a small proportion of low-income countries have successfully implemented national health information systems. One cause for this can be the lack of digital literacy among medical practitioners. As a result, this study aimed to assess health professionals' digital literacy level and associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia.

Method

A quantitative cross-sectional study was employed among 423 health professionals working in a teaching and referral hospital in Northwest Ethiopia. We modified and applied the European commission's framework for digital competency to assess the level of digital literacy among health professionals. We used stratified random sampling with proportional allocation to the size of the departments in the hospital to select study participants. Data were collected using a semi-structured, self-administered, and pretested questionnaire. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analysis techniques were used to describe respondents' digital literacy level and identify its associated factor, respectively. The odds ratio with 95% CI and value of p were used to assess the strength of the association and statistical significance, respectively.

Results

Out of 411 participants, 51.8% (95% CI, 46.9-56.6%) of health professionals had adequate digital literacy. Holding a master's degree (Adjusted OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.18-3.85), access to digital technology (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.12-3.17), having training in digital technology (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.05-2.59), and having a positive attitude towards digital health technology (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.02-2.68) were found to be significant factors associated with health professionals digital literacy level of health professionals.

Conclusion

Low level of digital literacy among health professionals was observed, with nearly half (48.2%) of them having poor digital literacy levels. Access to digital technology, training on digital technology, and attitude toward digital health technology were significant factors associated with digital literacy. It is suggested to increase computer accessibility, provide a training program on digital health technology, and promote a positive attitude toward this technology to improve the deployment of health information systems.

Professional Competence and Its Effect on the Implementation of Healthcare 4.0 Technologies: Scoping Review and Future Research Directions

BACKGROUND

The implementation of Healthcare 4.0 technologies faces a number of barriers that have been increasingly discussed in the literature. One of the barriers presented is the lack of professionals trained in the required competencies. Such competencies can be technical, methodological, social, and personal, contributing to healthcare professionals managing and adapting to technological changes. This study aims to analyse the previous research related to the competence requirements when adopting Healthcare 4.0 technologies.

METHODS

To achieve our goal, we followed the standard procedure for scoping reviews. We performed a search in the most important databases and retrieved 4976 (2011-present) publications from all the databases. After removing duplicates and performing further screening processes, we ended up with 121 articles, from which 51 were selected following an in-depth analysis to compose the final publication portfolio.

RESULTS

Our results show that the competence requirements for adopting Healthcare 4.0 are widely discussed in non-clinical implementations of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) applications. Based on the citation frequency and overall relevance score, the competence requirement for adopting applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) along with technical competence is a prominent contributor to the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare organisations are in a technological transition stage and widely incorporate various technologies. Organisations seem to prioritise technologies for 'sensing' and 'communication' applications. The requirements for competence to handle the technologies used for 'processing' and 'actuation' are not prevalent in the literature portfolio.

Physicians’ Perspective of Telemedicine Regulating Guidelines and Ethical Aspects: A Saudi Experience

Methods

This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted among physicians working at the College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), and its affiliated academic tertiary hospital, King Fahad Hospital of the University (KFHU), Eastern province-KSA. Data were collected between August 2019 and March 2020 via a structured, pretested, self-administered questionnaire distributed to 220 eligible physicians at KFHU. A final sample of 101 physicians completed our survey. Collected data was coded and analysed using SPSS, and the results presented as frequencies, percentages, and summary statistics.

Results

Among our respondents, 62 (61.4%) were males, 46 (45.5%) were in the age group of 35 to 44 years, and 62 (61.3%) were Saudi. Two-thirds of physicians (58 (57.4%)) use smart devices in healthcare delivery, and 51 (50.5%) are satisfied with this use. A minority (21 (20.8%)) knew about telemedicine guidelines, 8 (7.9%) had encountered legal issues related to telemedicine use, and 52 (51.5%) were doubtful about patients' readiness for virtual care. Regarding physicians' awareness of the ethical aspects regulating the use of social media and medical apps in patient care, only 44 (45.3%) were aware of the proper reporting system if they found accounts sharing unreliable information. Nevertheless, the majority (91 (92.9%)) agreed it is essential for healthcare providers to report such accounts. Concerning physicians' awareness of the rules and regulations of online self-promotion, the majority of our respondents were unsure or unaware of such regulations (46 (45.6%) and 18 (17.8%)), respectively. Nonetheless, 67 (66.3%) of the physicians would not pay SM influencers to advertise for them.

Conclusion

Two-thirds of our physicians use smart devices in healthcare delivery, with 1 in 13 having encountered related legal issues. Nonetheless, only a minority was aware of telemedicine use regulating guidelines, including physicians' online self-promotion regulations. These results highlight the necessity of targeted physicians' training on telemedicine use related guidelines, thereby ensuring the safety of both patients and healthcare professionals and the optimum utilization of online health-related interactions.

Health professionals’ readiness and its associated factors to implement Telemedicine system at private hospitals in Amhara region, Ethiopia 2021

Introduction

In resource-limited settings incorporating the Telemedicine system into the healthcare system enhances exchanging valid health information for practicing evidence-based medicine for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. Despite its great importance, the adoption of telemedicine in low-income country settings, like Ethiopia, was lagging and increasingly failed. Assessing the readiness of health professionals before the actual adoption of telemedicine is considered the prominent solution to tackle the problem. However, little is known about Health professionals’ telemedicine readiness in this study setting.

Objective

Accordingly, this study aimed to assess health professionals’ readiness and its associated factors to implement a Telemedicine system at private hospitals in North West, Ethiopia.

Materials and methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 3 to April 7, 2021. A total of 423 health professionals working in private hospitals were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Multi-variable logistic regression was fitted to identify determinant factors of health professional readiness after the other covariates were controlled.

Result

In this study the overall readiness of telemedicine adoption was 65.4% (n = 268) [95% CI:60.1–69.8]. Knowledge (AOR = 2.5;95% CI: [1.4, 4.6]), Attitude (AOR = 3.2;95% CI: [1.6, 6.2]), computer literacy (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI: [1.3, 3.9]), computer training (AOR = 2.1;95% CI: [1.1, 4.1]), Computer skill (AOR = 1.9;95% CI: [1.1, 3.4]), computer access at office (AOR = 2.1;95% CI: [1.1, 3.7]), Internet access at office (AOR = 2.8; 95% CI: [1.6, 5.1]), Own personal computer (AOR = 3.0; 95% CI: [1.5, 5.9]) and work experience (AOR = 3.1; 95% CI: [1.4, 6.7]) were significantly associated with the overall health professionals readiness for the adoption of telemedicine using a cut point of p-value lessthan 0.05.

Conclusion and recommendation

Around two-thirds of the respondents had a good level of overall readiness for the adoption of telemedicine. The finding implied that less effort is required to improve readiness before the implementation of telemedicine. This findings implied that respondents who had good knowledge and a favorable attitude toward telemedicine were more ready for such technology. Capacity building is needed Enhance computer literacy, and computer skills building their confidence to rise ready for such technology. Building their capacity through training, building good internet connection, and availability of computers, where the necessary measures to improve Telemedicine readiness in this setting. Additionally, further studies are recommended to encompass all types of telemedicine readiness such as organizational readiness, technology readiness, societal readiness, and so on. Additionally, exploring the healthcare provider opinion with qualitative study and extending the proposed study to other implementation settings are recommended to be addressed in future works. The study has a positive impact on the successful implementation and use of telemedicine throughout hospitals at countries level by providing pertinent information about health professionals’ preparedness status. Therefore, implementing telemedicine will have a significant contribution to the health system performance improvement in terms of providing quality care, accessibility to health facilities, reduction of costs, and creating a platform for communication between health professionals across different health institutions for providing quality patient care.

Telehealth and Transformation of Nursing Care in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Introduction

Technological advancements have transformed nursing care, quality, and education across the globe. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the inventions and adoption of mobile technologies such as an e-health application (app) called SEHA continue to revolutionize the healthcare system in the country.

Purpose

The present systematic review is aimed at examining the technological impact on nursing in Saudi Arabia. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of telehealth and its role in nursing quality, nursing practice, and education.

Methods

The present study adopted a literature review methodology by deriving data from journal articles from different databases, for example, Web Science, Google Scholar, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases. Inclusive years for the search ranged from 2016 to 2022. A total of eight articles were found dovetailing to meet the research objectives and answer research questions.

Result

After appraising and analyzing the research, the present review found that (Abolfotouh et al., 2019) telehealth in nursing is loosely researched; (Ahmed et al., 2021) telehealth impacts nursing practice and quality by fostering nurse-patient communication promoting positive outcomes, seamless nursing care, and positive experiences; and (Albahri et al., 2021) telehealth and telemedicine is a central tenet of contemporary nursing education and practice.

Conclusion

From these findings, this analysis informed three key recommendations: the need to integrate telehealth into the nursing curriculum, telehealth training, and reskilling among healthcare workers (HCWs) in KSA and further primary studies focusing predominantly on telenursing. Overall, telehealth remains a fundamental transformation of nursing practice that forms a central ideology in the contemporary nursing process.

Digital Health Competencies Among Health Care Professionals: Systematic Review

Background

Digitalization is not fully implemented in clinical practice, and several factors have been identified as possible barriers, including the competencies of health care professionals. However, no summary of the available evidence has been provided to date to depict digital health competencies that have been investigated among health care professionals, the tools used in assessing such competencies, and the effective interventions to improve them.

Objective

This review aims to summarize digital health competencies investigated to date and the tools used to assess them among health care professionals.

Methods

A systematic review based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist was performed. The MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases were accessed up to September 4, 2021. Studies assessing digital health competencies with quantitative designs, targeting health care professionals, and written in English were included. The methodological quality of included studies was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools.

Results

A total of 26 studies, published from 1999 to 2021, met the inclusion criteria, and the majority were cross sectional in design, while only 2 were experimental study designs. Most studies were assessed with moderate to low methodological quality; 4 categories and 9 subcategories of investigated digital health competencies have been identified. The most investigated category was “Self-rated competencies,” followed by “Psychological and emotional aspects toward digital technologies,” “Use of digital technologies,” and “Knowledge about digital technologies.” In 35% (9/26) of the studies, a previously validated tool was used to measure the competencies assessed, while others developed ad hoc questionnaires.

Conclusions

Mainly descriptive studies with issues regarding methodology quality have been produced to date investigating 4 main categories of digital health competencies mostly with nonvalidated tools. Competencies investigated might be considered while designing curricula for undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing education processes, whereas the methodological lacks detected might be addressed with future research. There is a need to expand research on psychological and emotional elements and the ability to use digital technology to self-learn and teach others.

Trial Registration

PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021282775; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=282775

Users' satisfaction levels about mHealth applications in post-Covid-19 times in Saudi Arabia

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the users’ satisfaction levels about mHealth applications and their intentions to use them in future (in post-Covid-19 times) in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey design was adopted in this study. The mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ)22 was used in this study. An online version of the survey was created using Google Surveys, and a link for the survey was generated. As the objective of this study is to assess the users’ satisfaction levels about mHealth applications and their intentions to use them in future (in post-Covid-19 times) in Saudi Arabia, all individuals who used or using mHealth applications will be included in this study. At the end of the survey time period, 318 responses were received.

Results

Items including ’easy to learn using the app’ (mean rating = 3.9), ’easy to find information on the application’(mean rating = 3.9), ’interface of the app’ (mean rating = 3.8) were rated to be highly effective by the participants.). However, ability to recover from mistakes while using the applications (mean rating = 2.9), inconsistency in navigation (mean rating = 2.9), and lack of all necessary functions (mean rating = 2.3) were few issues identified. No statistically significant difference of opinions was observed in relation to all sub-scales of usability factor.

Conclusion

Although the satisfaction levels are good with respect to mHealth applications, the sudden rise in the mHealth users can be partly linked to the several psychological issues such as anxiety and depression among people and also because of restricted access during the pandemic.

Attitudes of Patients with Chronic Diseases toward Management eHealth Applications Systems in Post-COVID-19 Times

Introduction: There has been an increase in the adoption of eHealth technologies and applications by health consumers globally because of the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the last two years. The sudden change in the users’ attitudes toward eHealth adoption needs to be critically evaluated and understood, as it can be the stepping stone toward rapid digitalization of healthcare operations in Saudi Arabia as a part of Vision 2030. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of the patients with chronic diseases toward eHealth applications in post-COVID times. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted using the online questionnaire as a data collection instrument. All the health consumers using eHealth services aged above 18 years and living in Saudi Arabia were included in the survey. The survey was conducted for 3 weeks, resulting in a final sample of 234 participants. Results: Overall, 73.8% of the participants stated that they adopted eHealth only out of necessity, while 37.3% stated that they adopted it because no other services were available. Only 10.3% stated that they adopted eHealth out of interest. In relation to the future use of eHealth, 51.5% of the participants stated that they would definitely not use eHealth applications, and 33.6% stated that they would probably them once the pandemic ends. Only 4.4% of the participants stated that they would very much probably, and 10.5% stated they would probably not use eHealth applications once the pandemic ends. a significant difference in opinions in relation to the future adoption of eHealth applications was observed among the male and female participants, and also between the age groups of younger (age <35 years) and older (age ≥35 years) participants. Conclusions: For the change in attitudes (increased adoption of eHealth) to be sustained, policymakers need to develop relevant strategies promoting the use of eHealth in Saudi Arabia.

Digital health literacy to share COVID-19 related information and associated factors among healthcare providers worked at COVID-19 treatment centers in Amhara region, Ethiopia: A cross-sectional survey

Background

Coronavirus (CoV) is a novel respiratory virus that can cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). It affects millions of people in the world and thousands of people in Ethiopia. In responding to this, digital health technologies help to reduce COVID-19 outbreaks by sharing accurate and timely COVID-19 related information. Additionally, digital solutions are used for remote consulting during the pandemic, in creating COVID-19 related awareness, for distribution of the vaccine, and so on. Therefore, this study aimed to assess digital health literacy to share COVID-19 related information and associated factors among healthcare providers who worked at COVID-19 treatment centers in the Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia.

Method

An institutional-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April 4 to May 4, 2021. The study included 476 healthcare providers who worked at COVID-19 treatment centers in the Amhara region. A pretested, structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. EpiData 4.6 and SPSS version 26 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Bi-variable and Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the dependent variable. A P-value of less than 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

Result

A total of 456 respondents were participated in the study, with 95.8% response rate. Digital health literacy to share COVID-19 related information found to be 50.4% (95% CI: 46–55). Educational status [AOR = 4.37, 95% CI(2.08–9.17)], training [AOR = 3.00, 95% CI (1.80–5.00)], attitude [AOR = 1.99, 95% CI(1.18–3.36)], perceived usefulness [AOR = 2.01, 95% CI(1.22–3.32)], perceived ease of use [AOR = 2.00, 95% CI(1.25–3.21)] and smartphone access [AOR = 5.21, 95% CI(2.34–9.62)] were significantly associated with digital health literacy to sharing of COVID-19 related information at P-value less than 0.05.

Conclusion

This finding indicated that approximately half of the respondents had digital health literacy to share COVID-19 related information which was inadequate. Improving respondents’ educational status, computer training, smartphone access, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude was necessary to measure digital health literacy to sharing of COVID-19 related information.

The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Doctors' and Registered Nurses' Working Conditions and Clinical Work - A Cross-Sectional Study in a Norwegian Hospital

Purpose

Previous studies indicate that the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT) in health care organizations impairs health care professional’s working conditions and diminishes job discretion. Most of these studies, however, were designed to explore the influence of ICT exclusively on a single group of health care professionals and thereby did not consider the influence of the same technology on other groups of health care professionals. The aim of this article is to explore the influence of a fully integrated ICT system on both doctors and registered nurses within the same working environment: a high-tech hospital.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a high-tech Norwegian hospital. Data were collected in 2016. In total, 264 registered nurses and 172 doctors responded to a questionnaire on their working conditions and experiences with ICT in clinical work. Descriptive statistics, compare means, cross-tables, Chi-square and bivariate correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

The findings revealed differences in doctors' and registered nurses' working conditions. Registered nurses reported a statistically significant higher workload and better job content than doctors. There was no difference in job discretion between doctors and registered nurses. Both occupational groups experienced that the ICT system impairs patient contact and the quality of health services. We found statistically significant correlations between registered nurses’ and doctors’ experiences with ICT in clinical work and working conditions, whereof the strongest correlation was related to job discretion in clinical work.

Conclusion

This study concludes that the impact of ICT on doctors’ and registered nurses’ working conditions in a hospital depends on the experiences of ICT in clinical work. In consequence, it is recommended to involve doctors and registered nurses in the implementation of ICT in hospitals.

Awareness, Views, Perceptions, and Beliefs of Pharmacy Interns Regarding Digital Health in Saudi Arabia: Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Digital health technologies and apps are rapidly advancing in recent years. It is expected to have more roles in transforming the health care system in this era of digital services. However, limited research is available regarding delivering digital health education in pharmacy and the pharmacy students' perspectives on digital health.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess pharmacy interns' awareness of digital health apps in Saudi Arabia and their views regarding the coverage of digital health in the education of pharmacists. In addition, we assessed the interns' perceptions and beliefs about the concepts, benefits, and implementation of digital health in practice settings.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study using a web-based survey was conducted among pharmacy interns at Unaizah College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. An invitation with a link to the web-based survey was sent to all interns registered at the college between January and March 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 68 out of 77 interns registered in the internship year participated in this study, giving a response rate of 88%. The mean total score for pharmacy interns' awareness of digital health apps in Saudi Arabia was 5.66 (SD 1.74; maximum attainable score=7). The awareness with different apps ranged from 97% (66/68) for the Tawakkalna app to 65% (44/68) for the Ministry of Health 937 call center. The mean total score for attitude and beliefs toward concepts and benefits of telehealth and telemedicine apps was 58.25 (SD 10.44; maximum attainable score=75). In this regard, 84% (57/68) of the interns believed that telehealth could enhance the quality of care, 71% (48/68) believed that it could help effectively provide patient counseling, and 69% (47/68) believed it could improve patients' adherence to therapy. In this study, 41% (28/68) believed that the current coverage of digital health in the curriculum was average, whereas only 18% (12/68) believed it was high or very high coverage. Moreover, only 38% (26/68) attended additional educational activities related to digital health. Consequently, the majority (43/68, 63%) were of the opinion that there is a high or very high need to educate and train pharmacists in the field of digital health.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the interns showed good awareness of common digital health apps in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the majority of the interns had positive perceptions and beliefs about the concepts, benefits, and implementation of digital health. However, the findings showed that there is still scope for improvement in some areas. Moreover, most interns indicated that there is a need for more education and training in the field of digital health. Consequently, early exposure to content related to digital health and pharmacy informatics is an important step to help in the wide use of these technologies in the graduates' future careers.

Willingness to use telemedicine during COVID-19 among health professionals in a low income country

INTRODUCTION

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has prompted rapid restructuring of the health-care system in an effort to stop the spread of the pandemic. Thus, telemedicine is more preferable in order to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic when face to face meeting is forbidden, allowing provision of health service over a distance. This study aimed to assess willingness to use telemedicine and factors that will determine their extent of willingness during COIVID-19 among healthcare providers working in south west of Ethiopia.

METHODS

Institutional based cross-sectional study design was applied to assess willingness to use telemedicine among healthcare providers working at public health hospitals in south west of Ethiopia. Self-administered questionnaires were used. We have used Epi-info for data entry and Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) for analysis. A structural equation modeling was performed to identify factors associated with willingness to use telemedicine at 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULT

In this study, less than half of respondents had high willingness to use telemedicine. Ease of use (β = 0.79, 95% CI: [0.72, 0.86], p < 0.01), attitude (β = 0.91, 95% CI: [0.87, 0.95], p < 0.01) and patient-physician relationships (β = 0.67, 95% CI: [0.54, 0.70], p < 0.01) were variables associated with willingness to use telemedicine. Anxiety towards technology (β = 0.74, 95% CI: [0.69, 0.79], p < 0.01) and patient-physician relationships (β = 0.87, 95% CI: [0.81, 0.92], p < 0.01) were determinant factors of attitude to use telemedicine.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall willingness to use telemedicine during COVID-19 in this setting is 46.5%. Addressing the problem related with ease of use, attitude and patient-physician relationships will help to increase the overall willingness to use telemedicine during COVID-19. An attempt to improving patient-physician relationship, provision of technical training for ease of use and working on healthcare providers' attitude will help to improve the willingness to use telemedicine.