Assessment of Challenges Faced by Health care Professionals in operating various Digital Health Applications in Primary Health Centres:Cross Sectional Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Background: Healthcare professionals in primary health centres face challenges such as poor internet connectivity, limited devices, technical difficulties, and inadequate training while using digital health applications. Despite these constraints, digital platforms are becoming increasingly important in enhancing patient care and healthcare delivery. OBJECTIVE Objectives: To identify and assess the major challenges faced by healthcare professionals in operating digital health applications at Primary Health Centres in Gadag Taluk, Karnataka. METHODS Methods: A cross-sectional investigation was carried out among 231 healthcare professionals from 15 Primary Healthcare Centres in Gadag Taluk using the universal sample technique. Data were collected through a pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule and presented in frequency and percentage distribution. RESULTS Results: Among the participants, 79.6% reported difficulty in using digital health applications due to poor internet access, technical issues, lack of devices, and inadequate IT support. However, 96.5% acknowledged the advantages of these tools for patient care. CONCLUSIONS Conclusion: The study highlights infrastructure gaps, training needs, and usability issues as key barriers to effective digital health adoption. Strengthening infrastructure, ensuring offline functionality, and providing capacity building can significantly improve adoption and efficiency in primary healthcare. CLINICALTRIAL Not Applicable