Current status of e-health awareness among healthcare professionals in teaching hospitals of Rawalpindi: a survey.

The purpose of this survey was to determine the number of healthcare professionals with knowledge about e-health and how many people would like to use e-health in their practice. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November 2007 in Rawalpindi Medical College and allied hospitals. E-health survey questionnaires were designed and distributed among healthcare professionals, and their knowledge and attitudes toward e-health were assessed. Of 186 healthcare professionals, 41.4% were doctors, 31.7% were medical students, and 26.9% were nurses. Of this total, 57% had heard of e-health prior to the survey; 28% were of the opinion that healthcare professionals should hear about e-health in medical college; 50.5% believed that e-health services for developing countries were useful in general. According to 40.3%, more information on successful e-health projects would be necessary to introduce e-health services into medical practice. Self-education, and better diagnosis and treatments were the main motivational factors to use e-health. Of those surveyed, 67.2% had access to Internet but most of them had not used an online database for reaching a diagnosis, preferring other doctors as their main source of expert advice. Recommendation by doctors and respected medical experts was considered most important for buying an e-health service. The present study demonstrates a lack of adequate knowledge about e-health among healthcare specialists. However, a majority believed that e-health has a very important role to play in present and future healthcare.