Digital Health Technology Adoption Among Chinese Physicians: Latent Profile Analysis and Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health Technologies
• Physician Adoption
• Healthcare Informatics

Background:

• Digital health technologies (DHTs) are revolutionizing healthcare delivery globally.
• Physician adoption of DHTs is inconsistent, influenced by individual, institutional, and technological factors.
• Understanding Chinese physicians' diverse perceptions is crucial for effective DHT integration, despite national initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct latent profiles of Chinese physicians based on their perceptions of DHT benefits, barriers, and behavioral intention.
• To examine demographic and occupational factors associated with physician profile membership.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey of 4851 physicians across 46 hospitals in Shaanxi Province, China.
• Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify physician subgroups based on perceived benefits, adoption barriers, and behavioral intention.
• Multinomial logistic regression analyzed predictors of profile membership.

Main Results:

• Five distinct physician profiles were identified: Reform-Adaptable (10.64%), Negative (20.68%), Neutral (46.92%), Reform-Conservative (11.23%), and Positive (10.53%).
• Significant demographic and occupational differences were found across profiles.
• Factors such as gender, education level, hospital type, income, occupational stress, and work satisfaction influenced profile membership.

Conclusions:

• A novel, person-centered approach identified five distinct physician typologies regarding DHT perceptions.
• This typology offers an evidence-based foundation for developing tailored interventions to enhance DHT adoption.
• Nuanced understanding of physician profiles can improve the impact and scalability of DHTs in clinical practice.