Research Projects

Recent years have witnessed an explosion of mobile apps for screening and managing chronic health conditions. Reviews suggest that over 8000 apps focus on mental health, and more than 50,000 health-related apps are available across the Android and Apple app stores. These apps offer new opportunities for self-help and disease management. However, experts caution against limitations in the digital health ecosystem, including concerns about safety, efficacy, and low digital literacy, which hinder widespread adoption. With the Indian Government introducing the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID for every citizen and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), digital health literacy is becoming a key determinant of technology-enabled service uptake. Understanding patients' ability to use digital tools effectively is essential for clinicians and researchers. Without this match, patients may not benefit from mHealth interventions, and the data generated may not be trustworthy for guiding care or research. Several instruments have been developed to assess this capacity, such as the eHealth Literacy Assessment Toolkit (eHLA), eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), Electronic Health Literacy Scale (e-HLS), and Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI). While useful, these self-reported tools often fail to reflect actual user skill levels. A more accurate approach would involve task-based assessments that measure real-world performance and skill. A practical, task-based strategy better captures digital health literacy, as it involves language skills, comfort with technology, and understanding of health-related content. Identifying specific domains of deficit is also crucial for designing targeted training. Programs in the West and Japan have successfully used such training to improve digital health capacity among underprivileged and elderly populations. This project proposes the development of a self-guided, performance-based mobile app to assess and enhance patients’ mHealth literacy. The app will: (i) Evaluate actual digital health skills through interactive tasks, (ii) Identify literacy gaps, (iii) Deliver targeted video-based training, and (iv) Teach users to navigate ABDM-related apps and tools. The training content will be tailored and delivered through short, engaging tutorials within the app. The app will be validated through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) among 140 adult patients with common mental disorders at AIIMS, New Delhi (Phase 1). Participants will be randomized into two groups—one with access to video training and one without. Baseline and post-intervention literacy will be assessed using eHEALS and the Problem-Based mHealth Literacy Scale (PB-mHLS), while in-app performance data will measure usability and effectiveness. Following Phase 1, a broader roll-out will be undertaken involving 700 participants across six AIIMS centers (Phase 2). The app’s future expansion could include deployment in schools, community health programs, and government training initiatives. It can also be adapted for use among underprivileged populations to reduce digital exclusion. Currently, there is no published research from India evaluating digital health literacy using such a structured and performance-based approach. This project offers significant immediate and long-term benefits. For patients, it will improve digital engagement and access to health services. For clinicians and researchers, it enables better alignment of patient capabilities with digital interventions, improving outcomes and data reliability. For the healthcare system, it supports the effective adoption of national digital health initiatives. By addressing the gap between perceived and actual mHealth literacy, this app can make digital health interventions more inclusive, evidence-based, and impactful in the Indian setting.