Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study

BackgroundIn 2019, Germany launched the Digital Healthcare Act. The reform enables physicians to prescribe health apps as treatments to their statutory-insured patients. ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the extent to which the integration of health apps into standar...

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Main Authors: Alexandra Heidel, Christian Hagist, Stefan Spinler, Michael Schoeneberger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2023-05-01
Series:JMIR Human Factors
Online Access:https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2023/1/e42186
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author Alexandra Heidel
Christian Hagist
Stefan Spinler
Michael Schoeneberger
author_facet Alexandra Heidel
Christian Hagist
Stefan Spinler
Michael Schoeneberger
author_sort Alexandra Heidel
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundIn 2019, Germany launched the Digital Healthcare Act. The reform enables physicians to prescribe health apps as treatments to their statutory-insured patients. ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the extent to which the integration of health apps into standard care could be considered beneficial and which aspects of the regulation could still be improved. MethodsWe conducted a semistructured interview study with 23 stakeholders in Germany and analyzed them thematically. We used descriptive coding for the first-order codes and pattern coding for the second-order codes. ResultsWe created 79 first-order codes and 9 second-order codes following the interview study. Most stakeholders argued that the option of prescribing health apps could improve treatment quality. ConclusionsThe inclusion of health apps into German standard care could improve the quality of treatment by expanding treatment portfolios. The educational elements of the apps might additionally lead to more patient emancipation through a better understanding of personal conditions. Location and time flexibility are the biggest advantages of the new technologies, but they also raise the most significant concerns for stakeholders because app use requires personal initiative and self-motivation. Overall, stakeholders agree that the Digital Healthcare Act has the potential to remove dust from the German health care system.
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spelling doaj.art-405fe81720a44112a42b00186650d4912023-08-28T23:52:01ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Human Factors2292-94952023-05-0110e4218610.2196/42186Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview StudyAlexandra Heidelhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7374-7725Christian Hagisthttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6322-3178Stefan Spinlerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2669-4728Michael Schoenebergerhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6678-423X BackgroundIn 2019, Germany launched the Digital Healthcare Act. The reform enables physicians to prescribe health apps as treatments to their statutory-insured patients. ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the extent to which the integration of health apps into standard care could be considered beneficial and which aspects of the regulation could still be improved. MethodsWe conducted a semistructured interview study with 23 stakeholders in Germany and analyzed them thematically. We used descriptive coding for the first-order codes and pattern coding for the second-order codes. ResultsWe created 79 first-order codes and 9 second-order codes following the interview study. Most stakeholders argued that the option of prescribing health apps could improve treatment quality. ConclusionsThe inclusion of health apps into German standard care could improve the quality of treatment by expanding treatment portfolios. The educational elements of the apps might additionally lead to more patient emancipation through a better understanding of personal conditions. Location and time flexibility are the biggest advantages of the new technologies, but they also raise the most significant concerns for stakeholders because app use requires personal initiative and self-motivation. Overall, stakeholders agree that the Digital Healthcare Act has the potential to remove dust from the German health care system.https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2023/1/e42186
spellingShingle Alexandra Heidel
Christian Hagist
Stefan Spinler
Michael Schoeneberger
Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study
JMIR Human Factors
title Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study
title_full Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study
title_fullStr Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study
title_full_unstemmed Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study
title_short Removing Dust From the German Health Care System by Introducing Health Apps Into Standard Care: Semistructured Interview Study
title_sort removing dust from the german health care system by introducing health apps into standard care semistructured interview study
url https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2023/1/e42186
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