RESEARCH PAPER
Factors associated with the use of public eHealth services in Poland – a 2022 nationwide cross-sectional survey
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1
Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Warsaw, Poland
2
School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
Corresponding author
Krzysztof Płaciszewski
Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Warsaw, 02-507, Warsaw, Poland
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2023;30(1):127-134
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
Introduction and objective:
Poland is an example of a European country that has made significant progress in digitizing healthcare during the last 5 years. There is limited data on the use of eHealth services by different socio-economic groups in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic The aim of the study was to characterize public attitudes towards the use of e-Health services in Poland, as well as to identify factors associated with the use of e-Health services among adults in Poland.
Material and methods:
A questionnaire-based survey was carried out during 9–12 September 2022. A computer-assisted web interview methodology was used. A nationwide random quota sample of 1,092 adult Poles was selected. Questions on the use of 6 different public eHealth services in Poland and soci-economic characteristics were addressed.
Results:
Two-thirds of participants (67.1%) had received an e-prescription in the last 12 months. More than half of the participants used the Internet Patient Account (58.2%) or the patient.gov.pl website (54.9%). One-third of the participants had teleconsultation with a doctor (34.4%), and approximately one-quarter of participants had received electronic sick leave (26.9%) or used electronic information about treatment dates (26.7%). Of the ten different socio-economic factors analyzed in this study, educational level, and place of residence (p<0.05) were the most important factors associated with the use of public eHealth services among adults in Poland.
Conclusions:
Living in rural areas or small cities is associated with a lower level of public eHealth services utilization. A relatively high interest in health education through eHealth methods was observed.
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