E-Health Awareness and Attitudes Toward Learning among Rehabilitation Students at King Saud University

Objective: Rapid digital transformation has made E-health knowledge an essential clinical readiness for undergraduate health students. Evaluating student awareness and learning attitudes is therefore vital to successfully integrating E-health training into university curricula. Therefore, this study evaluated undergraduate rehabilitation health sciences students' digital health knowledge, previous exposure, perceived relevance, and learning attitudes, and identified their specific preferences for curricular content and formats to support E-health integration. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study surveyed a convenience sample of undergraduate students (N = 93; response rate: 23.3%, 93/400) in Physical, Occupational, Speech and Hearing, and Respiratory Therapy at King Saud University. Data were collected via a structured, self-administered electronic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze participant demographics, E-health awareness, attitudes, exposure, and learning preferences. Results: While 33.3% of participants recognized the term "E-health", self-reported familiarity with general E-health concepts was limited, and only 6.5% reported familiarity with field-specific applications. Most students expressed high interest in E-health, identifying telehealth, telerehabilitation, and self-management apps as highly clinically relevant. Although prior exposure to advanced tools like virtual reality was low, students showed highly positive attitudes toward learning. Regarding curricular integration, 58.1% preferred interdisciplinary learning settings, with 49.5% favoring an elective and 25.8% a mandatory course format. Conclusion: Despite positive learning attitudes, undergraduate health rehabilitation sciences students demonstrated limited self-reported familiarity with E-health applications. These findings support the consideration of structured, interdisciplinary E-health education within rehabilitation curricula to align with healthcare digital transformation.