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. 2024 Nov 6;24(1):1353.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11807-1.

Adoption and perception of prescribable digital health applications (DiGA) and the advancing digitalization among German internal medicine physicians: a cross-sectional survey study

Lasse Cirkel  1 , Fabian Lechner  1   2 , Nadine Schlicker  1 , Jan Leipe  3 , Felix Mühlensiepen  4   5 , Ivica Grgic  6 , Martin C Hirsch  1 , Sebastian Kuhn  2 , Johannes Knitza  7   8
Affiliations

Adoption and perception of prescribable digital health applications (DiGA) and the advancing digitalization among German internal medicine physicians: a cross-sectional survey study

Lasse Cirkel et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: Therapeutic digital health applications (DiGAs) are expected to significantly enhance access to evidence-based care. Since 2020, German physicians and psychotherapists have been able to prescribe approved DiGAs, which are reimbursed by statutory health insurance. This study investigates the usage, knowledge and perception of DiGAs as well as the growing digitalization among internal medicine physicians in Germany.

Methods: A web-based survey was distributed at the 2024 annual congress of the German Society for Internal Medicine. Participants could respond by scanning a QR code or directly on a tablet.

Results: A total of 100 physicians completed the survey, with a mean age of 43.4 years. The majority were internal medicine physicians (85%). Of the respondents, 31% had already prescribed DiGAs, and 29% had tested one. Self-rated knowledge of DiGAs was low (median score 3.17/10). The main barriers identified were lack of knowledge about effective implementation (60%), lack of time for patient onboarding (27%), and concerns about patient adherence (21%). However, 92% believed that DiGAs could improve care, and 88% expressed interest in specific digital health training. The majority (64%) stated that digitalization had a positive impact on medical care and 39% of physicians expected their daily workload to decrease due to digitalization. In addition, 38% believed that the physician-patient relationship would improve as a result of digitalization.

Conclusions: While physicians widely acknowledged the potential benefits of DiGAs, adoption and understanding remain limited. Specific training in digital health is crucial to accelerate digitalization in internal medicine.

Keywords: Adoption barriers; DiGA; Digital health applications; Digitalization in medicine; German healthcare.

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Conflict of interest statement

JK declares research support from Abbvie, Vila Health, honoraria and consulting fees from Abbvie, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, GAIA, Galapagos, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Medac, Novartis, Pfizer, Sobi, Rheumaakademie, UCB, Vila Health and Werfen. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

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Fig. 1
Perceived impact of digitalization of patient care
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