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Germany is the first country that approved validated mobile health apps (called DiGA) for prescription by doctors and psychotherapists. The aim of this study is to investigate doctors' perspectives towards these mobile health apps and their intentions to prescribe them. Additionally, we investigated the influence of different roles and expectations of outcomes. We used a qualitative study design to determine doctors' viewpoints on prescribing DiGAs. We conducted 28 semi-structured interviews and used the grounded theory method for analysis. We adopted a classical conceptualist approach to gain theoretical insights. The results show that doctors' acceptance and support of DiGAs are critical in mobile health uptake and utilisation. Although mobile health is seen to be supportive of patient management and patient education doctors nevertheless need to adopt a motivating and persuasive role in the process. Doctors consider DiGAs complementary to their role in patient management and are predominantly positive about DiGAs. A trusted relationship with patients must be developed to ensure the appropriate support of DiGAs. Our study suggests that targeted education, user-centred DiGAs, consideration of social presence and user engagement, and co-development with doctors can improve longer-term DiGA use and effectiveness. • Doctors consider mobile health apps complementary to their role in patient management. • A key consideration is that doctors would generally prescribe DiGAs for their patients if they use the functions of the software themselves. • mHealth apps can be used to monitor and influence patient adherence. • Social presence of DiGAs provides increased realism in doctor-patien communication and patients' perveived psychological distance. • Peer pressure did not necessarily influence the intention to make a recommendation to use mHealth apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany became the first country to accept certain mobile health (mHealth) apps for prescription with costs covered by statutory health insurance. Yet, this option has only been used to a limited extent. To develop an international comparison, this study investigates GPs' perceptions of mHealth apps with a medical purpose in Germany and Australia. We conducted semi-structured interviews to examine their perspective on introducing and using mHealth apps and their awareness of their impact on patient adherence, empowerment, and health literacy. The results show that prescribing mHealth apps in general practice seems feasible in Australia and doctors are highly receptive to it.

Background: The enactment of the "Act to Improve Healthcare Provision through Digitalisation and Innovation " (Digital Healthcare Act; Digitale-Versorgung-Gesetz [DVG]) in Germany has introduced a paradigm shift in medical practice, allowing physicians to prescribe mobile health (mHealth) apps alongside traditional medications. This transformation imposes a dual responsibility on physicians to acquaint themselves with qualifying apps and align them with patient diagnoses, while requiring patients to adhere to the prescribed app use, similar to pharmaceutical adherence. This transition, particularly challenging for older generations who are less skilled with technology, underscores a significant evolution in Germany's medical landscape., Objective: This study aims to investigate physicians' responses to this novel treatment option, their strategies for adapting to this form of prescription, and the willingness of patients to adhere to prescribed mHealth apps., Methods: Using an exploratory qualitative study design, we conducted semistructured interviews with 28 physicians and 30 potential patients aged 50 years and older from August 2020 to June 2021., Results: The findings reveal several factors influencing the adoption of mHealth apps, prompting a nuanced understanding of adoption research. Notably, both physicians and patients demonstrated a lack of information regarding mHealth apps and their positive health impacts, contributing to a deficiency in trust. Physicians' self-perceived digital competence and their evaluation of patients' digital proficiency emerge as pivotal factors influencing the prescription of mHealth apps., Conclusions: Our study provides comprehensive insights into the prescription process and the fundamental factors shaping the adoption of mHealth apps in Germany. The identified information gaps on both the physicians' and patients' sides contribute to a trust deficit and hindered digital competence. This research advances the understanding of adoption dynamics regarding digital health technologies and highlights crucial considerations for the successful integration of digital health apps into medical practice., (©Tanja Schroeder, Maximilian Haug, Andrew Georgiou, Karla Seaman, Heiko Gewald. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (https://mhealth.jmir.org), 17.01.2024.)