Healthcare and Digital Sensitivity in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Cities of India

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-608-1_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Digital Sensitivity; Tier 1 and Tier 2 Cities; Digital Health Adoption; Healthcare

Abstract

The increasing integration of digital healthcare solutions in India, including telemedicine, electronic health records (EHRs), and mobile health applications, has redefined patient care. However, issues surrounding digital sensitivity, particularly data privacy and cybersecurity, remain a major concern, especially across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. This study examines the levels of awareness, trust, and adoption of digital healthcare services among 230 participants and 25 industry experts through a mixed- method research approach. For the qualitative component, 25 expert interviews were conducted. This number was chosen based on the principle of thematic saturation, which refers to the point at which no new themes or insights emerge from additional interviews. Guest, Bunce, and Johnson (2006) suggest that saturation typically occurs within the first 12–24 interviews in homogeneous groups. In this study, the sample included healthcare professionals, digital health administrators, and cybersecurity experts, providing diverse and sufficiently rich perspectives to support triangulation with the quantitative data.

Quantitative analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, exploratory factor analysis, and regression modelling, using IBM SPSS version 28 while thematic analysis provided deeper qualitative insights. Results indicate that while awareness is moderately high, trust levels are neutral to low, primarily influenced by concerns regarding data privacy and regulatory assurances. Key factors driving trust include personal privacy concerns and transparency in data handling. The study proposes actionable strategies such as strengthening data protection frameworks and launching targeted awareness campaigns. These findings provide critical implications for policymakers, healthcare providers, and technology developers aiming to foster a secure and inclusive digital healthcare ecosystem in emerging markets.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Swati Kulkarni
AU  - Jharna Lulla
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/10
TI  - Healthcare and Digital Sensitivity in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Cities of India
BT  - Proceedings of the 12th AIM-AMA Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium & International Marketing Conference 2025 (IMCDC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 166
EP  - 182
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-608-1_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-608-1_10
ID  - Kulkarni2026
ER  -