Table 2.
Perceived benefits and costs of using digital health tools among health care professionals and students (N=372).
| Perceived benefits and costs of using digital health tools | Health care professionals (N=218), mean (SD) | Health care students (N=154), mean (SD) | t (df) | P value | |||||
| Perceived benefits | |||||||||
|
|
Quality of care | 4.06 (0.9) | 4.16 (0.9) | –0.93 (370) | .35 | ||||
|
|
Easy access to patient data for health care professionals | 4.16 (0.8) | 3.92 (0.9) | 2.60 (370) | .01 | ||||
|
|
Work satisfaction among health care professionals | 3.98 (1.0) | 3.94 (0.9) | 0.40 (370) | .68 | ||||
|
|
Increased understanding of health conditions among patients | 3.85 (1.0) | 3.84 (1.0) | 0.14 (370) | .88 | ||||
|
|
Opportunities for self-care | 3.64 (1.0) | 3.69 (0.9) | –0.50 (370) | .61 | ||||
|
|
Increased quality of communication between health care professionals and patients | 3.83 (1.1) | 3.60 (1.1) | 1.84 (370) | .06 | ||||
|
|
Higher number of patients turning up in time for their appointments | 3.48 (1.2) | 3.22 (1.1) | 2.12 (370) | .03 | ||||
|
|
Improved patients’ adherence to treatment | 3.88 (0.9) | 3.62 (0.9) | 2.63 (370) | .009 | ||||
|
|
Increased patient satisfaction | 3.87 (0.9) | 3.77 (0.9) | 0.99 (370) | .32 | ||||
|
|
Improved trust between health care professionals and patients | 3.74 (1.2) | 3.64 (1.1) | 0.79 (370) | .42 | ||||
| Perceived costs | |||||||||
|
|
Concerns about data safety among patients | 3.76 (1.0) | 3.62 (1.0) | 1.26 (370) | .20 | ||||
|
|
Increased risk of technical errors (eg, tool breakdown, internet breakdown) | 3.53 (1.2) | 3.67 (1.1) | –1.11 (370) | .26 | ||||
|
|
Increased financial costs for hospitals | 3.53 (1.3) | 3.23 (1.3) | 2.13 (370) | .03 | ||||
|
|
Higher risk of data misuse | 3.27 (1.2) | 3.23 (1.1) | 0.31 (370) | .75 | ||||
|
|
Increased financial cost for patients | 3.06 (1.2) | 2.89 (1.1.) | 1.58 (370) | .11 | ||||
|
|
Higher risk of medical errors | 2.94 (1.2) | 2.79 (1.1) | 1.17 (370) | .23 | ||||
|
|
Increased level of anxiety among patients | 2.81 (1.1) | 2.66 (0.9) | 1.34 (370) | .18 | ||||
|
|
Increased demand of time for health care professionals | 3.06 (1.2) | 3.05 (1.1) | 0.11 (370) | .90 | ||||
|
|
Increased work-related stress among health care professionals | 3.31 (1.2) | 2.98 (1.1) | 2.44 (370) | .01 | ||||
|
|
Delay in the response from health care professions to meet patients’ needs | 3.18 (1.2) | 2.91 (1.0) | 2.20 (370) | .02 | ||||