Assessment of Telehealth Literacy in Users: Survey and Analysis of Demographic and Behavioral Determinants

<b>Background</b>: Telehealth is an essential component of modern healthcare, and it was especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, but disparities in digital and technological literacy among health professionals may limit its equitable adoption and impact. <b>Objective</b>: This study seeks to validate an eight-item telehealth literacy survey among health professionals in Central-South Chile and to examine demographic and behavioral determinants of literacy levels, developing predictive models to identify key factors. <b>Methods</b>: In this cross-sectional study, 2182 health professionals from urban and rural centers in Central-South Chile completed the adapted survey along with questions on age, gender, nationality, and frequency of telehealth use. We assessed internal consistency (Cronbach's α), explored factor structure via exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and tested associations using Pearson correlations, <i>t</i>-tests, one-way ANOVA, and both linear and multinomial logistic regressions. <b>Results</b>: The instrument demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.92) and a two-factor structure explaining 65% of variance. Age negatively correlated with literacy (r = -0.26; <i>p</i> < 0.001), while the frequency of telehealth use showed a positive correlation (r = 0.26; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Female professionals and those in urban settings scored significantly higher on telehealth literacy (<i>p</i> = 0.005 and <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively). The reduced multinomial model achieved moderate classification accuracy (51.65%) in distinguishing low, medium, and high literacy groups. <b>Conclusions</b>: The validated survey is a reliable tool for assessing telehealth literacy among health professionals in Chile. The findings highlight age, gender, and geographic disparities, and support targeted digital literacy interventions to promote equitable telehealth practice.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Healthcare
Published
2025-07-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151825
Primary Topic
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Assessment of Telehealth Literacy in Users: Survey and Analysis of Demographic and Behavioral Determinants

Jacqueline Ibarra-Peso, Marcela Hechenleitner-Carvallo, Sergio Flores
Healthcare
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
article

Assessment of Telehealth Literacy in Users: Survey and Analysis of Demographic and Behavioral Determinants

Jacqueline Ibarra-Peso, Marcela Hechenleitner-Carvallo, Sergio Flores
article en

Abstract

<b>Background</b>: Telehealth is an essential component of modern healthcare, and it was especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, but disparities in digital and technological literacy among health professionals may limit its equitable adoption and impact. <b>Objective</b>: This study seeks to validate an eight-item telehealth literacy survey among health professionals in Central-South Chile and to examine demographic and behavioral determinants of literacy levels, developing predictive models to identify key factors. <b>Methods</b>: In this cross-sectional study, 2182 health professionals from urban and rural centers in Central-South Chile completed the adapted survey along with questions on age, gender, nationality, and frequency of telehealth use. We assessed internal consistency (Cronbach's α), explored factor structure via exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and tested associations using Pearson correlations, <i>t</i>-tests, one-way ANOVA, and both linear and multinomial logistic regressions. <b>Results</b>: The instrument demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.92) and a two-factor structure explaining 65% of variance. Age negatively correlated with literacy (r = -0.26; <i>p</i> < 0.001), while the frequency of telehealth use showed a positive correlation (r = 0.26; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Female professionals and those in urban settings scored significantly higher on telehealth literacy (<i>p</i> = 0.005 and <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively). The reduced multinomial model achieved moderate classification accuracy (51.65%) in distinguishing low, medium, and high literacy groups. <b>Conclusions</b>: The validated survey is a reliable tool for assessing telehealth literacy among health professionals in Chile. The findings highlight age, gender, and geographic disparities, and support targeted digital literacy interventions to promote equitable telehealth practice.

HealthcareVol. 13(15)
Universidad de Santiago de Chile (CL), Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción (CL), Hospital Regional de Concepción (CL), University of Bío-Bío (CL), University of Chile (CL), Arturo Prat University (CL)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 75%
Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.