The Use of eHealth Applications in Hong Kong: Results of a Random-Digit Dialing Survey

Abstract

eHealth has become popular worldwide, and it is transforming health care. However, studies examining the use of eHealth applications in the Chinese population are scarce. The study reports on the characteristics of eHealth applications in Hong Kong information and communication technology (ICT) users, their attitudes towards eHealth, and their reasons for not using eHealth applications. A cross-sectional random-digit dialing survey targeting adults using ICT was conducted in Hong Kong to elicit information on respondents' use of and attitudes towards eHealth. A total of 495 ICT users completed the survey, of whom 353 (71.3%) were eHealth users. A smartphone was the most frequent way of performing eHealth activities (71.7%). The most prevalent eHealth activity was reading about health/illness (86.4%), with 93.5% indicating that eHealth applications improved their understanding of health care issues. People with less education were less likely to use eHealth applications. Non-eHealth users indicated that the main reasons for not using eHealth applications were lack of interest in health information (49.3%) and lack of confidence in the reliability of online information (45.1%). Quality monitoring of health information available on ICTs and tailoring the design and readability are recommended to meet the needs of those seeking health resources and to promote eHealth. Evidence from the study demonstrates the potential of eHealth to improve the dissemination of health information in Hong Kong, and it provides a basis for improving eHealth integration.

Keywords: Cell phone; Health information; Information science; Internet; Smartphone; Survey; eHealth.