Objective: Digital information and communication technology in European healthcare is growing. Unlike the numerous technological possibilities, the present use and perspectives in otolaryngology care have been of less interest so far. This study evaluates the utilization and attitudes towards digital information and communication technology in cross-sectoral otolaryngology care among German patients.

Setting: Single tertiary hospital.

Subjects and Methods: The structured interview focused on chief complaints, current use of digital technologies, estimated benefits of increased digital technology use in otolaryngology care, and sociodemographic data. The detailed statistical analysis employed chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression.

Results: A total of 208 otolaryngology patients completed the interview. Digital communication technologies exhibited high penetration (91.8%) and were regularly used in daily life (78.7%) and for health reasons (73.3%). Younger age (p ≤ 0.003) and higher education levels (p ≤ 0.008) significantly correlated with increased digital communication technology use. Furthermore, the overall potential of eHealth technologies was rated significantly higher by younger patients (p ≤ 0.001). The patients" chief complaints showed no significant influence on current and potential use of these technologies for cross-sectoral otolaryngology care.

Conclusion: German otolaryngology patients regularly use digital information and communication technology for health reasons and express interest in further use for cross-sectoral care. To enhance digital patient communication in otolaryngology, attention should be given in particular to treatment quality, usability, data security, data availability, and financial remuneration for service providers.

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