Trust in digital healthcare ‘poorly measured’: Study

Digital healthcare tools are on the rise, but how well can we understand the degree to which they are trusted and the factors behind it?
 
That was the question driving researchers at The University of Queensland, whose work on the issue was published last month in the npj digital medicine journal.
 
Dr Soraia de Camargo Catapan and Dr Jaimon Kelly from the university’s Centre for Online Health looked at 49 studies to try and identify the key influences on trust, both for consumers and healthcare professionals.
 
The studies were published over 13 years between 2010 and 2023, with 40% carried out either in China or the United States.
 
Their analysis, ‘A systematic review of consumers’ and healthcare professionals’ trust in digital healthcare’, looked into a range of options, including electronic health records, wearable devices, telehealth, online health, and medical artificial intelligence.
                   
They conclude trust in digital healthcare is ‘often poorly measured’.

They say there are various factors influencing trust, including the extent of human interaction, perceived risks, privacy concerns, data accuracy, quality of the intervention, digital literacy, satisfaction, customisation, experience, level of education, and income.
 
They also note that cultural and geographical differences should be taken into account, giving the example of China where privacy is more heavily regulated.
 
‘It is important to mention that cultural and geographical differences may have impacted not only individuals’ perceptions of trust but also the way it is measured,’ the authors wrote.
 
They conclude their results show trust in digital healthcare ‘is a complex construct that, from consumers’ perspectives, can be associated with and, in some cases, predict the use, adoption, usefulness, or acceptance of digital healthcare interventions’.
 
Dr Catapan also said that while trust can be difficult to assess, it is a critical factor in the uptake of digital health tools.
 
‘If people don’t trust digital healthcare, they won’t use it,’ she said.
 
‘Trust is inherently difficult to define and measure but it is key to making digital health tools more effective and widely used.
 
‘Building trust can help more people use these health technologies in the long run, leading to better outcomes and making digital healthcare more sustainable.’
 
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