Digital Health Technology Use Among Rehabilitation Professionals in China: Multi-Province Cross-Sectional Survey

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Growing rehabilitation needs in China strain a workforce with uneven distribution.
• Digital health technologies (DHTs) present opportunities to expand rehabilitation service reach and efficiency.
• Understanding current information practices and digital tool readiness among Chinese rehabilitation professionals is crucial for system digitalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe how rehabilitation professionals in China collect subjective and objective clinical information.
• To document patient data collection and management in routine practice.
• To assess the willingness of Chinese rehabilitation professionals to integrate DHTs into clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• A multi-province, observational, cross-sectional survey was conducted using a culturally adapted questionnaire.
• The survey assessed participant characteristics, information gathering methods, documentation practices, and digital tool adoption willingness.
• Data from 324 licensed rehabilitation professionals across 20 provinces were analyzed using descriptive statistics and subgroup comparisons.

Main Results:

• Traditional methods, including face-to-face assessment (96.3%) and handwritten notes (82.1%), dominate clinical practice.
• Digital channels and advanced technologies like motion capture (13.8%) and wearable sensors (4%) are rarely utilized.
• Despite analogue practices, a high willingness to adopt DHTs was reported for identity verification (80.6%), progress tracking (79.0%), and outcome measurement (78.1%).

Conclusions:

• Rehabilitation professionals in China show a strong willingness to adopt digital health technologies.
• Current clinical practices remain predominantly analogue, indicating a gap between readiness and implementation.
• Findings support the development of targeted strategies for workforce training and system planning to accelerate digital transformation in rehabilitation.