Attitude Towards Digital Health Literacy Among Healthcare Professionals at Teaching Hospital, Gangtok: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: In the current scenario, digitalization is rapidly transforming the healthcare system with various eHealth applications such as electronic health records and telemedicine. This study aims to assess the attitude towards Digital Health Literacy among healthcare professionals at Gangtok's teaching hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the teaching hospital in Gangtok from March 27th to April 30th, 2024. The study included 503 healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses, paramedics, and physiotherapists. Data were collected using a self-structured five-point Likert Scale. Results: Among the 624 healthcare professionals surveyed, 503 participated, resulting in an 80.6% response rate. The majority of respondents were nurses (44.2%), followed by physicians (35.9%), paramedics (12.6%), and physiotherapists (7.3%). Out of the 503 respondents, 497 (98.8%) had a favorable attitude towards digital health, 5 (0.99%) had a moderately favorable attitude, and 1 (0.1%) had an unfavorable attitude. The study investigated the association between healthcare professional?s attitudes towards digital health literacy and their work experience and job description. The analysis using Fisher?s Exact Test alternative hypothesis was rejected, as p-values of 0.502 for job description and 0.656 for work experience exceeded the 0.05 significance level. This indicates no significant association between attitudes towards digital health and selected variables. Conclusion: The favorable attitude toward digital health literacy among healthcare professionals shows a strong interest in learning and using various digital health technological tools in the workplace. Providing healthcare professionals with more training and information about digital health tools will help with time management and overall patient care. The findings suggest that factors other than job role or tenure, such as individual predisposition, institutional culture, or exposure to technology, may shape attitudes toward digital health.