AN INVESTIGATION INTO PATIENT ATTITUDES TOWARD DATA PRIVACY AND CYBERSECURITY IN DIGITAL MEDICAL SYSTEMS

Abstract Background: The use of digital medical systems such as electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, and online health platforms has changed the way healthcare is delivered. However, the advancements have also triggered more fears regarding the problem of information security and privacy. The patient's attitude towards the problem is the key to establishing trust and supporting the ethical application of digital health technologies. Objective: The paper investigates patient awareness, perception, and the level of trust in digital medical systems in terms of privacy as well as cybersecurity of data. It will be necessary to identify what variables will influence the patient's confidence in using digital healthcare platforms and how demographic factors will influence attitudes. Methods: The qualitative descriptive research design was used, which presupposed the use of a structured questionnaire with 283 patients from the public and private health organizations. The questionnaire was categorized into the awareness section, the concern section, the trust section, and the perception of control. The statistical tests consisted of descriptive statistics, reliability and validity tests (Cronbach's Alpha, KMO, and Bartlett's Test), inferential tests (t-tests, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-Square, and regression). Statistical tests were performed to test relationships and predictors, both through inferential tests and correlation and regression. Results: The data sample proved to be very reliable (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.90) and valid (KMO = 0.78; Bartlett’s χ² = 356.42, p < 0.05). Normality was confirmed (p > 0.05). The inferential results showed that there was a significant difference by gender (t = 2.31, p = 0.021) and education (F = 4.78, p = 0.003), which have an overriding influence on trust as well as awareness, respectively. Also, the degrees of concern differ greatly between the types of healthcare (H = 11.26, p = 0.009), and the concern about privacy was found to be related to digital use (2 = 18.53, p = 0.015). All the major variables: Awareness, Concern, Trust, and Control (r = 0.670.91) exhibited a positive correlation. Regression results revealed that Awareness (β = 0.412), Concern (β = 0.376), and Control (β = 0.298) positively impacted the patient trust prediction (β = 0.05). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the perceived power and the attitude toward the belief of being responsible for data privacy significantly condition the confidence of the patients in digital healthcare systems. Exposure and Copyright © 2026 by Author/s and Licensed by IJCNIS. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. educational background are also huge determinants of attitude. Further improving patient faith in online health services may be achieved via the enhancement of transparency, patient education, and improved online security guidelines. Keywords: Awareness and Electronic Health Records and Trust and Awareness and Data Privacy and Cybersecurity and Patient Attitudes, and Telemedicine.