A survey of Egyptian physicians' awareness and use of coronavirus-related mHealth applications. (June 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mansour, Essam
• Is Part Of: Information development. Volume 39:Number 2(2023)
• Page Start: 271
• Page End: 286
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- physicians -- mobile health -- mhealth applications -- Egypt; Library science -- Periodicals; Information science -- Periodicals; 020.5
• DOI: 10.1177/02666669211049494
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0266-6669

Abstract

The key purpose of this study is to look into Egyptian physicians' knowledge and use of coronavirus-related mHealth apps. The study used a quantitative approach in the form of a self-administered questionnaire in January 2021.The population of the study included 203 Egyptian physicians, 56% of whom were males and 43.8% of whom were females, ranging in age from 36 to 55 years and with work experience ranging from 11 to 25 years. Many Egyptian physicians were described as advanced mobile phone users who were aware of the use of coronavirus-related mHealth apps and had used them for one to two hours per day for seven to twelve months. Many physicians first learned about these apps through social media, family, and the media. Physicians' homes were discovered to be the most popular location for accessing these apps. The most popular platforms for physicians were those based on Android. According to many physicians, the most frequently recommended apps are "coronavirus symptoms apps" and "coronavirus health monitoring apps". Accessing coronavirus-related services, communicating with peers, and sharing data were among the most important tasks for physicians. Many physicians agreed that these apps provide a lot of information about the coronavirus, increase access to information, and allow them to communicate with one another, but they also agreed that they take a long time, violate privacy, and may even lead to social isolation. Many physicians have expressed trust in these applications. More than half of the physicians stated that they "usually" recommend these apps to their patients. The most significant barriers to using coronavirus-related mHealth apps identified by Egyptian physicians surveyed in this study are a lack of time and concerns about personal data privacy and security.