Pediatric Patient and Parent Attitudes Towards Digital Health Tools: Survey Data from a Pediatric Electrophysiology Practice

<i>Background: </i>Rapid adoption and miniaturization of technology has increased access to connected digital health (DH) technologies, though there are few pediatric cardiac studies assessing these tools. This study assesses the current state of DH access, use and digital literacy in a pediatric electrophysiology (EP) population. <i>Methods:</i> Patients presenting to a pediatric EP clinic were prospectively enrolled and completed to complete a 35-question survey focused on access and use of DH tools. <i>Results: </i>206 patient/parent dyads completed the survey. 72% (149/206) of patients who own a smartphone, 94% (141/150) owned a smartphone by age 15 with 64% of smartphone owners (98/154) using health, wellness, or fitness applications on their devices. Only 40% (82/204) of respondents had a wearable device with 72% of patients (59/81) obtaining their device between 12-19 years of age. Figure 1 shows responses to questions regarding type of data from wrist worn wearable devices and DH health literacy. 56% of respondents (115/205) felt their ability to navigate their device/app was average with 38% (77/205) feeling that their ability to navigate was above average. <i>Conclusion: </i>Most pediatric patients obtain a smartphone or wearable device in adolescence and utilize the built-in health apps. While a slight majority of adolescents have a basic understanding of their health data and can navigate their devices with ease, there are opportunities to improve DH literacy. Ownership of their health data may empower adolescents to use DH devices to supplement their care.