Medical Doctors’ Perceived Ease of Using Digital Health Tools as a Foundation for Healthcare Digital Transformation

The aim of this exploratory study is to determine the medical doctors’ perceived ease of using digital health tools for healthcare digital transformation. The literature offers little data on this aspect, especially in low- and middle-income countries. A total of 528 medical doctors participated, responding to a seven-item paper-based survey, inspired by the components of the HLS₂₄ instrument for measuring digital health literacy developed by M-POHL. It comprises aspects regarding the ease of using health applications, digital channels for communicating with patients, AI for accessing health information, social networks, verifying information on websites, and identifying mis/disinformation. High internal consistency was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.87). A generally positive perception of ease of use is confirmed by the mean of 2.77. Online searches registered the highest scores, indicating that respondents are more confident in their Internet searching skills, while artificial intelligence had the lowest medium score (2.43) highlighting the area where doctors feel less confident. Regression analysis showed that about 20% of the variance score is determined by the activity field, age, and education level. Generational gap was observed especially regarding AI, senior doctors having significantly lower scores than younger groups. All age groups share the challenge of identifying disinformation. The results emphasize the need to address barriers and support doctors in adopting digital technologies. As the first depiction of digital literacy in healthcare in Moldova, the study contributes to the literature with the perspectives of healthcare professionals via their perceptions rather than competencies. Subsequently, it aims to inform strategies for facilitating digital transformation, as it serves as a basis for strategic analysis of medical doctors’ perspectives on the integration of AI and medical data processing in healthcare systems and opens the opportunity to make future comparisons with the general population through the HLS₂₄ instrument.