ArticleBMC health services research2024
Adoption and perception of prescribable digital health applications (DiGA) and the advancing digitalization among German internal medicine physicians: a cross-sectional survey study.
Article in BMC health services research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Understanding Adherence to Digital Health Technologies: Systematic Review of Predictive Factors.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Digital health applications, telemedicine and large language models in dermatology: results of a Germany-wide survey.Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG · 2026Article
- MediaPipe-Based Activity Analysis by Healthcare Professionals: Method Development and Technology Acceptance-A Pilot Study.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Digital Health Navigators for the Integration of Digital Mental Health Applications in Ambulatory Care: A Prospective Feasibility Study.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2026Article
- Prescriber's Preferences for Digital Health Applications in Mental Health Care: Cross-Sectional Best-Worst Scaling Study of General Practitioners and Psychotherapists in Germany.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- [Digital health applications and adherence in depression: a qualitative study from the perspective of healthcare providers].Der Nervenarzt · 2026Article
- 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
- Modeling Factors Affecting Physicians' Acceptance of E-Prescriptions Using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares Analysis: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- [Survey on primary care for rheumatology patients in Lower Franconia and the contribution of digital health].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2026Article
- Comparing mental health professionals' willingness to use digital therapeutics: a cross-national survey in South Korea and Germany.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- General Practitioners' Perspectives on Digital Health Applications for Mental Disorders and Their Prescribing Behavior: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR mental health · 2026Article
- Genie in the bottle? a qualitative study of general practitioners' perspectives and information needs concerning digital mental health applications in Germany.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Predictors of Perceived Need for and Prescribing of Digital Health Applications for Mental Disorders Among Psychotherapists in Germany: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Understanding Economic Decision-Making in Digital Therapeutics Development: Qualitative Approach.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Digital empowerment on hold: DiGA adoption gaps-a German national cross-sectional patient survey study.Rheumatology international · 2025Article
- Potentials and barriers of digital patient education in rheumatic disease management: an exploratory qualitative interview study.Rheumatology international · 2025Article
- From awareness to integration: a qualitative interview study on the impact of digital therapeutics on physicians' practices in Germany.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Real-World-Evidence of Digital Health Applications (DiGAs) in Rheumatology: Insights from the DiGAReal Registry.Rheumatology and therapy · 2025Article
- What Is the Current Status of Research on the Impact of Digitalization in Medicine? A Bibliometric Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Using a Digital Wearable Plantar Pressure Device to Detect Muscle Fatigue: Within-Subject, Repeated Measures Experimental Design.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTherapeutic 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.
methodsA 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.
resultsA 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.
conclusionsWhile 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.
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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 Socratic graph.