ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Policy
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1634261
This article is part of the Research TopicFrom Simulation to Implementation: Policy Tools and Practice Evaluation for One HealthView all articles
Developing a Digital Health Competency Assessment Framework for Public Health Services: A Delphi-AHP Approach
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jilin University, Changchun, China
- 2Shenzhen Health Development Research and Data Management Centre, guangdong, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Objective: To construct a scientifically validated and practical digital health competency assessment framework for public health services, addressing gaps in current evaluation paradigms that fail to comprehensively assess individuals' proactive engagement with digital health tools.Methods: The study employed a mixed-methods approach, beginning with a systematic literature review and structured interviews to draft an initial indicator system. Two rounds of Delphi consultations with 15 experts were conducted to refine the framework, followed by quantification of indicators using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Results: The final framework comprises 3 primary indicators (Health Literacy, Information Literacy, Digital Competency ), 9 secondary indicators, and 19 tertiary indicators. Health Literacy and Information Literacy were weighted highest (0.4545 each), 2 reflecting their foundational roles, while Digital Competency (0.0909) served as a complementary enabler. Conclusion: This study addresses a critical gap in digital health research by providing a multidimensional assessment tool that integrates technological, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions. The framework aligns with global digital health strategies and responds to societal challenges like the "digital divide" . Its practical applications include guiding policy-making, optimizing digital health services, and tailoring health education programs to improve public health outcomes.
Keywords: Digital Health Competency, Public Health, Indicator system, Delphi method, Analytic hierarchy process
Received: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yao, cao, tan and chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yibei Yao, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.