Apps on prescription? Test persons wanted for research project on digital health applications

Whether it's a diabetes diary, online therapy or a screening app: digitalisation has also long since found its way into medical care. Digital health applications (DiGA) are medical products based on digital technologies - and in many respects a helpful supplement to medical therapy for patients: typically in the form of apps on the smartphone or tablet, they not only support the detection, treatment or alleviation of individual diseases, but also contribute to improving structures and processes around medical care. Since the Digital Care Act came into force at the end of 2019, such apps can be prescribed by doctors or therapists and reimbursed by health insurance funds if they meet certain criteria and are included in the list of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). The advantages of the innovative therapy option are actually obvious - and yet DiGA has so far been little used.

Apps on prescription are hardly used so far: study investigates the motives

What is the reason for this? Is it possibly due to a lack of acceptance or knowledge that the opportunities offered by apps on prescription have not been exploited to date? The Institute for Service Management (CROSS) at HNU is addressing this question as part of a research project led by Prof. Dr. Heiko Gewald. "We want to understand what motives both doctors and patients have for either not prescribing or not using DiGAs: Are there fears or apprehensions?" explains study leader Tanja Schröder, research assistant in the eHealth department at HNU. For this purpose, both groups of people will be interviewed in a large-scale survey; the data collected will then be evaluated and will lead to possible suggestions for improvement and change.

Study participants wanted

CROSS is currently looking for study participants in both groups (doctors and patients) who can provide insight into their attitude towards DiGA in a telephone interview. People with a long history of illness or chronic disease who could potentially use such apps are particularly invited to participate - regardless of whether they see added value in digital health apps or have been critical of them up to now.

Anyone who would like to actively support the research on digital health apps should contact the research team directly: appointments can be made directly by e-mail at diga@hnu.de or by telephone at 0731-9762-1558.

Contact person:

Tanja Schröder
Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences
Institute for Service Management
diga@hnu.de or by telephone at 0731-9762-1558