Evaluating the knowledge and usage of digital health tools in rural Oyo State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study of healthcare professionals and residents.
| Title: | Evaluating the knowledge and usage of digital health tools in rural Oyo State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study of healthcare professionals and residents. |
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| Authors: | Okeke EB; College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK.; Centre for Digital Health Research, Innovation and Practice, Cephas Health Research Initiative Inc, Ibadan, Nigeria.; Office of the Executive Director, Cephas Health Research Initiative Inc, Ibadan, Nigeria.; Forman D; College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK.; Taylor E; College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK.; Hyde E; College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK.; Parente F; College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK.; Kanmodi KK; Office of the Executive Director, Cephas Health Research Initiative Inc, Ibadan, Nigeria. Kehinde.kanmodi@tau.edu.ng.; Department of Public Health, Thomas Adewumi University, Oko, Nigeria. Kehinde.kanmodi@tau.edu.ng.; School of Public Health, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Kehinde.kanmodi@tau.edu.ng.; Wordsworth S; College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, UK. |
| Source: | BMC public health [BMC Public Health] 2025 Dec 15; Vol. 25 (1), pp. 4248. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Dec 15. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968562 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2458 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712458 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001- |
| MeSH Terms: | Health Personnel*/statistics & numerical data ; Health Personnel*/psychology ; Rural Population*/statistics & numerical data ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*; Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Nigeria ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Middle Aged ; Digital Health |
| Abstract: | Background: Digital health technologies present a promising avenue for improving healthcare access in low-resource settings. In both rural and urban communities in Nigeria, challenges such as workforce shortages, limited infrastructure, and socioeconomic barriers continue to restrict healthcare delivery. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge and usage of digital health tools among healthcare professionals and residents in rural communities of Oyo State, Nigeria.; Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to August 2024 in eight primary healthcare centres across two rural local government areas. A total of 393 participants, comprising 158 healthcare professionals and 235 residents, completed structured questionnaires assessing digital competency, tool usage, and willingness to adopt digital health solutions. Data were analysed using SPSS version 28. Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests (non-parametric test) were used to assess group differences, while logistic regression identified predictors of digital health readiness.; Results: Healthcare professionals demonstrated high levels of digital tool usage, with 91.8% reporting daily use of these tools. Significant differences in digital knowledge were found across professional roles [p |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The conduct of this study was done in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964. Ethical approval was granted by the Oyo State Ministry of Health [Reference: NHREC/OYOSHRIEC/10/11/22] on the 4th July 2023 and the University of Derby Research Ethics Committee [Reference: ETH2324-2537] on the 4th July, 2024. All participants provided written informed consent prior to their participation in the study. Participation in this study was also confidential and voluntary. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: Kehinde Kazeem Kanmodi is an Editorial Board member of BMC Public Health and a co-author of this article. To minimise bias, he was excluded from all editorial decision-making related to the acceptance of this article for publication. Other authors have no competing interest to declare. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Digital health; Health equity; Health literacy; Healthcare professionals; Nigeria; Rural healthcare |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251216 Date Completed: 20251216 Latest Revision: 20251218 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12706899 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12889-025-25600-0 |
| PMID: | 41398950 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article