[The greatest potential for reducing the workload of physicians through digital care applications (DiPAs) lies within the age group of 50 to 65 years].

Authors

Doreen Müller, Julie Lorraine OʼSullivan, Mandy Schulz, Tobias Nieporte, Benjamin Jonas, Michael Erhart

Published in

Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)). Apr 14, 2025. Epub Apr 14, 2025.

Abstract

The first digital care application (DiPA) was expected to be approved in 2024 for use by individuals in need of care who live at home. DiPAs must demonstrate benefits like improved mobility, cognitive and communicative skills, and self-care abilities. They can provide direct care or support caregiving relatives. If effective, DiPAs could reduce the need for home visits by medical professionals, easing their workload. This study identifies the age group that could benefit most from DiPAs, using data from digital health application (DiGA) prescriptions as an indicator.Using billing data from ambulatory physicians under §295 SGB V, we determined the number of adults in Germany insured under statutory health insurance for whom a DiGA prescription was billed by their ambulatory physicians between March 2021 and December 2022. The fourth quarter of 2022, with the highest number of available DiGAs, was compared with home visit data using corresponding billing codes.The billing of DiGA prescriptions from ambulatory physicians increased from 6,660 in the second quarter of 2021 to 32,546 in the fourth quarter of 2022. DiGAs were more commonly prescribed to younger and middle-aged adults, peaking at ages 30 and 56, while home visits were more frequent among older adults, peaking at ages 61 and 83.The steady rise in DiGA prescriptions suggests growing acceptance among physicians and patients. This trend, particularly among younger and middle-aged adults, indicates that DiPAs could also gain acceptance. The second age peak for DiGA prescriptions pertains to the age group of approximately 50 to 65 years, which overlaps with the first age peak for home visits. Therefore, DiPAs should focus on the 50-65 age group for maximum physician workload relief, with later adjustments made for older age groups. Involving stakeholders in development could enhance trust.

PMID:
40228532
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Apr 2025.

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