ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2020
Potential Benefits and Risks Resulting From the Introduction of Health Apps and Wearables Into the German Statutory Health Care System: Scoping Review.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed.
- Negotiating privacy and responsibility in digital public health: a qualitative study of the social and ethical implications of peer-to-peer health data sharing.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Recommendations of digital health applications to patients by Portuguese General Practitioners: a cross-sectional study.The European journal of general practice · 2025Article
- [Type 2 diabetes patients use E-health to manage disease willingness and influence mechanisms].Beijing da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Peking University. Health sciences · 2025Article
- Participant Contributions to Person-Generated Health Data Research Using Mobile Devices: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Self-monitoring of health - user viewpoints on gathering data using consumer health technologies during leisure time.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- Opportunities and challenges of lifestyle intervention-based digital therapeutics in LDL-C management: a scoping review.Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2025Article
- The Value of Smartwatches in the Health Care Sector for Monitoring, Nudging, and Predicting: Viewpoint on 25 Years of Research.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Review
- Health Literacy Promotion and Digital Interventions for Depressive Disorders.Health literacy research and practice · 2024Article
- Enhancing Digital Health Awareness and mHealth Competencies in Medical Education: Proof-of-Concept Study and Summative Process Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Project.JMIR medical education · 2024Article
- Development of a patient-centered app in Germany as a special health and organizational support by surveying patients with cardiovascular diseases.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2024Article
- Physicians' and Patients' Expectations From Digital Agents for Consultations: Interview Study Among Physicians and Patients.JMIR human factors · 2024Article
- The Attitudes of Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases towards Online Exercise with the Mobile Monitoring of Their Health-Related Vital Signs.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Promoting Physical and Mental Health among Children and Adolescents via Gamification-A Conceptual Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- [Transparency and Efficiency through Digital Healthcare? Results of a Survey of Generation Y].Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) · 2024Article
- Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study.JMIR human factors · 2023Article
- The Mobile Patient Information Assistant (PIA) App during the Inpatient Surgical Hospital Stay: Evaluation of Usability and Patient Approval.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Prototyping of a Digital Life Course Care Platform for Preconception and Pregnancy Care: Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Digital technology and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review with a focus on depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
- A Yoga Exercise App Designed for Patients With Axial Spondylarthritis: Development and User Experience Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Comparing the Acceptance of Mobile Hypertension Apps for Disease Management Among Patients Versus Clinical Use Among Physicians: Cross-sectional Survey.JMIR cardio · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGermany is the first country worldwide that has introduced a digital care act as an incentive system to enhance the use of digital health devices, namely health apps and wearables, among its population. The act allows physicians to prescribe statutory financed and previously certified health apps and wearables to patients. This initiative has the potential to improve treatment quality through better disease management and monitoring.
objectiveThe aim of this paper was to outline the key concepts related to the potential risks and benefits discussed in the current literature about health apps and wearables. Furthermore, this study aimed to answer the research question: Which risks and benefits may result from the implementation of the digital care act in Germany?
methodsWe conducted the scoping study by searching the databases PubMed, Google Scholar, and JMIR using the keywords health apps and wearables. We discussed 55 of 136 identified articles published in the English language from 2015 to March 2019 in this paper using a qualitative thematic analysis approach.
resultsWe identified four key themes within the articles: Effectivity of health apps and wearables to improve health; users of health apps and wearables; the potential of bring-your-own, self-tracked data; and concerns and data privacy risks. Within these themes, we identified three main stages of benefits for the German health care system: Usage of health apps and wearables; continuing to use health apps and wearables; and sharing bring-your-own; self-tracked data with different agents in the health care sector.
conclusionsThe digital care act could lead to an improvement in treatment quality through better patient monitoring, disease management, personalized therapy, and better health education. However, physicians should play an active role in recommending and supervising health app use to reach digital-illiterate or health-illiterate people. Age must not be an exclusion criterion. Yet, concerns about data privacy and security are very strong in Germany. Transparency about data processing should be provided at all times for continuing success of the digital care act in Germany.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.