The Impact of New Technologies on Individuals’ Health Perceptions in the European Union

• Main Authors: Gabriel Brătucu, Andra Ioana Maria Tudor, Lavinia Dovleac, Silvia Sumedrea, Ioana Bianca Chițu, Adrian Trifan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: mHealth; e-Health; health-related online purchases; self-perceived health; sustainability of healthcare provision
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/24/10349

The healthcare systems of European countries currently face challenges regarding the sustainability of healthcare provision. The growing sophistication of new technologies is transforming the accessibility and management of health services and information, while also challenging society’s ability to offer fair access to health services for all people. The aim of this paper is to identify and analyze some of the determinants of the self-perceived health status across the EU28 area and to determine how the digitalization of health is impacting the self-rated health of the European populations, given the fact that a healthier population is one of the 17 goals of sustainable development on the 2030 Agenda. The research method used is panel-data regression using secondary data from international databases. The results indicate that there is a direct relationship between the way people are assessing personal health, the ability to use the Internet for seeking health-related information, and the use of various apps to purchase health-related items online. Our findings are useful for academics, industry specialists, and public authorities in designing sustainable health products and policies by focusing on the development of suitable mHealth programs for generating more patient-centered services where the idea of self-care is encouraged.