Utilization of mobile health applications and determinant factors among health science students at Debre Markos University, northwest Ethiopia in 2022.

BACKGROUND: High penetration of smartphones and ownership among the young generation increased the utilization of mobile health applications for health management among university students more than ever. Compared to other health service provision mechanisms mobile health service has higher advantages in promoting a healthy lifestyle since it is not limited to time and space. Even though there are numerous studies conducted in the area of mobile health utilization, this phenomenon is not well studied among university students in Ethiopia, Hence this study aims to determine the level of mobile health applications utilization among health science students. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Debre Markos University from April 05 to June 25, 2022 among health science students. For this study, 423 students were recruited from health Science College using a systematic sampling method. The data was gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. Using SPSS version 26 software descriptive analysis, bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were performed. A P-value of .05 at a 95% confidence interval was considered statistically significant. The questionnaire's validity was determined by expert opinion, and by calculating its reliability using cronbach alpha (α = .78). RESULT: This study revealed that more than half 59% (144/244) of the study participants have installed and utilized 1-3 health-related apps. Among the students who have mobile health applications 38.6% utilize mobile health application several times a day while only 2.1% utilized rarely. Usage history shows that 40% of the study participants utilized the applications for a year, while 15.4% of the students utilized them for more than 2 years. Easiness of applications (AOR = 4.8, 95%CI: [2.1-11.2]), skill AOR = 4.2, 95%CI: [3.8-12]) and trust (AOR = 2.8, 95%CI: [1.6-4.8]) were among the factors that were associated with mobile health applications utilization. Students were asked about the barriers that limit the use mobile health applications and self-reported barriers includes Lack of knowledge and awareness of application benefits, and Lack of adequate time to use applications. CONCLUSION: The study shows that mobile health applications utilization is moderate relative to previous studies. Mobile health application developers for the young generation should consider healthy lifestyle related applications like fitness and weight loss apps.

Perception of physicians towards electronic prescription system and associated factors at resource limited setting 2021: Cross sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: The healthcare industry is increasingly concerned about medical errors, which are the leading cause of death worldwide and also compromise patient safety. This medical error is even more serious in developing countries where healthcare is not supported by technology. Because of the traditional paper-based prescription system, Ethiopia has an overall medication prescribing error rate of 58.07% that could be avoided if an electronic prescription system was in place. Therefore, this study aims to assess physicians' perceptions towards electronic prescription implementation. METHODS: From February 1 to April 5, 2021, an institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among physicians working in public hospitals in the Amhara region. 384 physicians were selected using a simple random sampling method. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analysed using SPSS, version 21. To assess factors associated with perception among physicians, a binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed. A P.05 value, at a 95% confidence interval, was considered statistically significant. The validity of the questionnaire was determined based on expert opinion, as well as its reliability was determined by calculating the value of Cronbach alpha (α = .78). RESULTS: In this study, 231 (76.5%) of study participants had a positive perception of electronic prescription. Around 70.8% had more than 5 years of computer usage experience. Nearly 90% of participants claimed that their prescriptions were legible; however, 89% believe that paper-based prescriptions are prone to error. According to multivariable logistic regression analysis, technical skill [AOR] 4.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] (1.27-17.41), good internet access (AOR 2.82, % CI 1.75-4.54), and perceived usefulness of e-prescription system (AOR 3.31, 95% CI 1.01-12.12) were significantly associated with perception. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of respondents have a positive perception of electronic prescription. The most notable factors associated with physician perception were organizational factors, internet access, perceived usefulness of the system, and technical skill.