The Use of Mobile Phone and Medical Apps among General Practitioners in Hangzhou City, Eastern China

BACKGROUND: Mobile phones and mobile phone apps have expanded new forms of health professionals’ work. There are many studies on the use of mobile phone apps for different specialists. However, there are no studies on the current use of mobile phone apps among general practitioners (GPs). OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the extent to which GPs own smartphones with apps and use them to aid their clinical activities. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of GPs was undertaken in Hangzhou, Eastern China. Data probing GPs’ current use of medical apps in their clinical activities and factors influencing app use were collected and analyzed RESULTS: 125 GPs participated in the survey. 90.4% of GPs owned a mobile phone, with 48.7% owning an iPhone and 47.8% owning an Android phone. Most mobile phone owners had 1-3 medical-related apps, with very few owning more than 4. There was no difference in number of apps between iPhone and Android owners (χ(2)=1.388, P=0.846). 36% of GPs reported using medical-related apps on a daily basis. The majority of doctors reported using apps to aid clinical activities less than 30 minutes per day. CONCLUSIONS: A high level of mobile phone ownership and usage among GPs was found in this study, but few people chose medical-related apps to support their clinical practice.