A survey of Egyptian physicians’ awareness and use of coronavirus-related mHealth applications

What is it about?

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.

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Why is it important?

Mobile technologies, such as smartphones and PC tablets, have had a significant impact on healthcare systems overall (Jusoh, 2017). They provide novel approaches to addressing complex health issues, particularly during health crises and epidemics. Many mHealth applications, which are intended to be used outside of clinics and are designed to help with various health issues and problems, are currently available on the marketplaces. However, little is known about their ownership and use by the general public, particularly health professionals such as physicians, despite the fact that the use of such mobile devices has greatly improved these professionals’ access to reliable and up-to-date information sources. Jusoh (2017) made a notable attempt in this regard, attempting to investigate the current state of mHealth through a literature review. She discovered that smartphones have surpassed scientific papers as the primary platform for mHealth applications, with the number of published software far outnumbering the number of published scientific papers. Current mHealth applications, on the other hand, remain vulnerable due to a lack of grounded-based theory and evaluation, as well as security and usability concerns.

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