Advantages and disadvantages of eHealth portals and mobile applications – the functionality and utility recommendations of informatics and management students’ perspective

The article aims to identify students’ views on the possibilities of using modern information technology tools in prevention and health protection at the University of Economics in Katowice, divided into distinguished fields of study. The research tool was an electronically distributed survey questionnaire (Computer-Assisted Web Interview). The research was conducted in mid-2023. The obtained results were reduced to comparability by counting percentages in individual answers to questions. Urban and Euclidean distances were calculated to analyze the differences between fields of study. Additionally, a hypothesis was put forward about a statistically significant differentiation of the obtained answers. The measure was the right-sided F-Snedecor test. The presented results are part of the research on using modern IT tools to improve the functionality of the living conditions of society in healthcare. The results identify students’ views on the use of portals and mobile applications in the field of eHealth, while the thesis about significant differentiation was verified. The research sample of this study was based on a chosen university and people from Generation Z in the academic environment. Nevertheless, the conclusions presented may help shape the policy of building and using portals and Internet applications in prevention and health protection by students, potential future IT specialists, and companies involved in their construction and modification at present. The uniqueness of this study lies in its focus on the analysis of the views of a specific group of end users on the possibilities of using IT tools across the fields of study at the distinguished university.