Mobile health apps in Sweden: what do physicians recommend?

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Medical Innovation

Background:

• Over 50,000 mobile health apps exist, offering potential patient benefits.
• Physicians are key channels for disseminating these innovations, but their behavior is understudied.
• Understanding physician adoption is crucial for mobile health app integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess physician attitudes toward recommending health apps.
• Identify factors influencing physician recommendations for health apps.
• Examine these factors in Sweden, an early adopter country.

Main Methods:

• Web-based survey of 44 Swedish physicians.
• Utilized Diffusion of Innovation, Health App Maturity, and Six Hurdles models.
• Followed by 2 individual interviews; quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Main Results:

• Few physicians currently recommend mobile health apps.
• Most physicians view health apps positively, especially for patient self-management.
• Key concerns include lack of evidence-based content and multilingual support.

Conclusions:

• Early adopters and innovators drive mobile health app diffusion.
• Interpersonal communication is vital for physician information and motivation.
• Physicians need more knowledge on certified websites for quality assurance.