Digital Health and Primary Health Care Quality: A Survey Case Study

Renan Cabral de Figueirêdo (), Ísis de Siqueira Silva, Pedro Bezerra Xavier, Aguinaldo José de Araújo, Amanda Jéssica Bernardo da Silva, Cícera Renata Diniz Vieira Silva, Walterlânia Silva Santos, Josemario de Abreu Silva and Severina Alice da Costa Uchôa
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Renan Cabral de Figueirêdo: Department of Collective Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, RN, Brazil
Ísis de Siqueira Silva: Department of Collective Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, RN, Brazil
Pedro Bezerra Xavier: Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Nata 59012-570, RN, Brazil
Aguinaldo José de Araújo: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59056-000, RN, Brazil
Amanda Jéssica Bernardo da Silva: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59056-000, RN, Brazil
Cícera Renata Diniz Vieira Silva: Technical School of Health of Cajazeiras, Federal University of Campina Grande, Cajazeiras 58900-000, PB, Brazil
Walterlânia Silva Santos: Nursing Department, University of Brasília, Brasilia 72220-275, DF, Brazil
Josemario de Abreu Silva: Department of Collective Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, RN, Brazil
Severina Alice da Costa Uchôa: Department of Collective Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-900, RN, Brazil

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-26

Abstract: Background: Digital health, especially in Primary Health Care (PHC), has been expanding rapidly, encompassing various technologies to improve care. This study aims to evaluate the integration of digital technologies in PHC, identifying barriers and facilitators in a Brazilian capital in an urban context. Methods: A survey with a questionnaire based on a validated model was used, involving physicians and nurses from Basic Health Units. The analysis included descriptive statistics and association tests in the SPSS software, with a significance level of 5%. Results: The findings show the presence of computers and the use of e-SUS/Electronic Citizen Record in all units, highlighting WhatsApp ® , telephone calls, and other digital media as the main used tools. It was observed that there was limited digital infrastructure, a lack of adequate training for professionals or specific protocols for the organization of digital actions and statistical associations with the performance of digital health actions. Conclusions: It is recommended to strengthen policies for professional qualification and investments in infrastructure, aiming at the continuity and improvement of the use of Information and Communication Technologies in PHC. These findings offer comparable insights for similar contexts in Brazil in urban PHC settings and countries with equivalent socioeconomic contexts and analogous public health systems.

Keywords: digital health; primary health care; surveys and questionnaires; health informatics; health information technology; digital health education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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