Personal and professional use of mobile health applications among Iranian nurses: a cross-sectional study

Advances in technology have made the use of mobile health applications (MHAs) by nurses increasingly important. Examining the current landscape and identifying the factors influencing this use are essential for developing strategies that promote appropriate MHAs use among nurses. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the personal and professional utilization of MHAs and associated factors among clinical nurses in hospitals affiliated with Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2022.

In this cross-sectional study, 250 nurses at Kashan in 2022 were randomly selected. Data were collected on a four-part scale encompassing personal and professional information, perceived knowledge of MHAs, familiarity with MHAs, and use of MHAs. The frequency of personal and professional use of MHAs was estimated with a 95% confidence interval. The data were analyzed via SPSS version 16 and logistic regression.

The prevalence rates of MHAs' utilization for nurses' personal use and professional practice were estimated to be 29.2% (95% CI: 23.56%-34.84%) and 26% (95% CI: 20.6%-31.4%), respectively. Observation of MHAs use by healthcare professionals or others (OR = 4.234, 95% CI: 1.881-9.530; p < 0.0001), addressing patient inquiries about MHAs (OR = 5.200, 95% CI: 2.095-12.908; p < 0.0001), and having close relatives or friends with an educational or professional background in information technology or related fields (OR = 2.371, 95% CI: 1.119-5.022; p = 0.024) were identified as predictors of nurses' personal use of MHAs. Observation of MHAs use by healthcare professionals or others (OR = 12.900, 95% CI: 4.802-34.657; p < 0.0001) and addressing patient inquiries about MHAs (OR = 5.622, 95% CI: 1.989-15.893; p = 0.001) were significant predictors of nurses' professional use of MHAs.

The use of MHAs for nurses' personal and professional performance in Kashan hospitals appears to be limited. However, increasing nurses' exposure to MHAs could increase their commitment to health programs. It is recommended that nursing management train selected nurses to serve as role models in hospital wards to encourage their colleagues to adopt MHAs practices.