ArticleThe European journal of general practice2023
Two years of approved digital health applications in Germany - Perspectives and experiences of general practitioners with an affinity for their use.
Article in The European journal of general practice, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Digitalization on European General Practice From the Perspective of General Practitioners: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Self-Training With a Web-Based Digital Health Application Versus Physiotherapy in the Treatment of Disorders of the Patella: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Expected Competencies and Personal Attributes of Digital Health Navigators to Support Digital Mental Health Care: Focus Group and Interview Study With Patients and Health Care Professionals.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Comparing mental health professionals' willingness to use digital therapeutics: a cross-national survey in South Korea and Germany.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Digital Therapeutics and Blended Care in Major Depressive Disorder: Current Evidence and Future Directions.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Value of a quality label and European healthcare professionals' willingness to recommend health apps: An experimental vignette study.Journal of health psychology · 2025Article
- Perspectives of Australian healthcare professionals towards gamification in practice.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2025Article
- Article
- Digital Health Applications (DiGAs) on a Fast Track: Insights From a Data-Driven Analysis of Prescribable Digital Therapeutics in Germany From 2020 to Mid-2024.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Expanding a Behavioral View on Digital Health Access: Drivers and Strategies to Promote Equity.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- The three-year evolution of Germany's Digital Therapeutics reimbursement program and its path forward.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Review
- A qualitative interview study of patients' attitudes towards and intention to use digital interventions for depressive disorders on prescription.Frontiers in digital health · 2024Article
- Covering digital health applications in the public insurance system: how to foster innovation in patient care while mitigating financial risks-evidence from Germany.Frontiers in digital health · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSince 2020, physicians in Germany can prescribe approved digital health applications (DHAs) with the costs covered by the health system. There has so far been a lack of studies on attitudes and experiences amongst GPs in using DHAs.
objectivesThe aim was to elucidate the experiences and observations of GPs that have used DHAs in health care and to examine the conditions necessary for DHAs to gain a foothold in primary care according to the GPs.
methodsIn 2022, 96 qualitative semi-standardised interviews were conducted with German GPs with experience in prescribing DHAs. The GPs were all organised in digitalisation-oriented physicians' associations. Fifty-four interviews were carried out in person and 42 by phone. The data were analysed according to qualitative content analysis.
resultsUnlike health apps, the interviewees saw DHAs as reliable tools for enhancing the relationship between GPs and their patients. They saw the DHAs they had been prescribing as useful and reported various benefits, including improvements in compliance, mobility, information for patients and weight reduction. The physicians also saw room for further improvement (usability, gamification, training, information sources). Interviewees saw the inclusion of DHAs in evidence-based guidelines as a major step forward.
conclusionThe interviewees rated DHAs favourably regarding healthcare potential and as safer and more reliable than conventional health apps. Many saw benefits to healthcare from using such applications. From the interviewees' point of view, DHAs can be integrated more effectively into patient care.
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Registered trials
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