Digital health technology use and barriers among adults with type 2 diabetes in a tertiary care diabetes centre in Southern India

Digital-health technologies—including mobile applications, teleconsultation services, SMS reminders, and online patient portals—are increasingly used to support chronic disease self-management. However, evidence on real-world digital-health use, eHealth literacy, user attitudes, and access barriers among adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending tertiary-care settings in India remains limited. This study protocol presents a reproducible, multi-domain measurement framework for assessing digital-health use in T2DM care. This manuscript describes a study protocol for a cross-sectional study to be conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary diabetes-care centre in Southern India. Approximately 200 adults with T2DM will be consecutively recruited over a 12-week period. Data collection will include sociodemographic, clinical, behavioural (diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol use), anthropometric, biochemical, and digital-health variables. eHealth literacy will be assessed using the validated 8-item eHEALS scale, and attitudinal readiness toward digital-health use will be measured using a brief Likert-scale instrument with planned internal-consistency assessment. Digital-health use will be analysed primarily as a binary outcome, with an exploratory secondary indicator reflecting the number of modalities used. Descriptive statistics will summarise participant characteristics, and multivariable logistic regression will be used to examine predictors of digital-health use. Internal consistency of multi-item scales will be assessed using Cronbach’s α. Ethical approval has been obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of M.V. Hospital for Diabetes & Prof. M. Viswanathan Diabetes Research Centre. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and scientific conferences. This protocol describes a structured and reproducible assessment of digital-health use and its determinants among adults with T2DM. The findings are expected to inform strategies to enhance digital inclusion and promote equitable adoption of digital-health tools within diabetes-care services.