Publications

AIM: The Government of India launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to digitize the national healthcare system. The aim of this study was to estimate  the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding the ABDM and benefits of digital  health among urban patients, who are likely to be early adopters of digital  technologies. METHODS: We interviewed 150 outpatients above 18 years of age, in a  hospital in urban Bengaluru, India. Our questionnaire captured the knowledge,  attitude and practice regarding ABDM and Digital Health, including open-ended  questions to evaluate perceptions of the benefits and concerns regarding digital  health. RESULTS: Most of the participants belonged to the upper and upper middle  socioeconomic classes. Only 8% of participants knew about the ABDM, although  their knowledge and practice related to other Government digital services, like  National Teleconsultation services (eSanjeevani), Arogya Setu and DigiLocker,  were high. Many participants perceived digital health to be beneficial, but there  were serious concerns regarding data safety, data privacy and misuse of health  data by insurance companies. CONCLUSION: We established a baseline survey for  assessing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of ABDM and digital health among  urban patients. The results suggest that implementation agencies of ABDM should  increase the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and devise new  strategies to create awareness, disseminate correct information and address the  concerns of citizens.