JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Health technology can potentially increase the efficiency and quality of pediatric palliative care (PPC), yet its use in home-based PPC remains limited. Digital healthcare literacy and attitudes of healthcare personnel toward health technology may either hinder its use and act as barriers or enhance its successful implementation, serving as facilitators in home-based PPC.

Objective:

To explore the use of health technology by Norwegian healthcare personnel in home-based PPC and examine the association between their digital healthcare literacy and their attitudes toward health technology.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2023 to May 2024, with an online survey targeting healthcare personnel involved in home-based PPC through primary or specialist healthcare services. Data were collected using selected items from the Norwegian Healthcare Personnel Survey on eHealth 2022, the Digital Health Care Literacy Scale (DHCL), and the short version of the Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health (ITASH), alongside demographic characteristics. Higher DHCL scores indicate greater digital healthcare literacy, while higher ITASH scores reflect more positive attitudes toward technology. Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to comprehensively explore the relationships and associations among the variables.

Results:

Healthcare personnel (N=148) from diverse healthcare services responded to the survey. Half of the respondents (72/144; 50.0%) had experience with video technology, while phone calls were the primary communication method (138/145; 95.2%). Additionally, 55.6% (79/142) of the respondents had limited or minimal access to electronic health records from other healthcare services. Healthcare personnel perceived health technology for remote PPC as a supplement (126/135; 93.3%) rather than a replacement for in-person care. Mean digital healthcare literacy was 18.29 (SD = 3.8) on a scale from 0 to 23. On a scale from 1 to 4, the highest recorded scores pertained to attitudes toward health technology in supporting care (mean = 3.17, SD = 0.39) and the perceived need for training (mean = 3.16, SD = 0.43). A statistically significant association was found between the respondents’ level of digital healthcare literacy and their attitudes toward health technology in supporting care (B = 0.030, 95% CI [0.014–0.047], P<.001).

Conclusions:

This study examined the use of health technology by Norwegian healthcare personnel in home-based PPC, their digital healthcare literacy, and attitudes toward health technology. Despite positive attitudes and high digital healthcare literacy, health technology use was limited, suggesting that inadequate technology and infrastructure may hinder effective implementation. Addressing these barriers is crucial to enhancing the use of health technology in home-based PPC. Future research should focus on integrating health technology into existing infrastructure and workflows while exploring its impact on personalized care to ensure high-quality home-based PPC.