Knowledge of E-health concepts among students in health-related specialties in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

While many publications have focused on the computer skills of healthcare practitioners and awareness of Electronic Health Records (EHR), little attention has been given to the future workforce and if students are prepared for using EHR. The goal of this study is to evaluate students' level of computer literacy and knowledge of EHR-related concepts. University students were invited to participate in a cross-sectional paper-based survey. Students were recruited from four academic colleges; pharmacy, medicine, public health, and dental. The survey included items related to students' computer skills, self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, and knowledge of EHR topics. The analysis included descriptive statistics and group comparison. Out of the 312 responses, 47.8% were male and 52.2% were female. The level of computer skills was investigated through 14 questions with three levels Likert scale and the average score was 14.6% for low, 28.6% for medium, and 56.6% for high. The concepts which students were familiar with the most were telemedicine, EHR, and ICD. Overall, students reported a low level of knowledge of EHR topics. With the projected digital transformation in the health sector, we recommend integrating E-health concepts into the different health related specialties academic curriculum.

Keywords

• Electronic health records
• Education
• Barriers
• Challenges
• Adoption
• Knowledge