[Position Paper of The AG Digital Health DNVF on Digital Health Applications: Framework Conditions For Use in Health...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Digital Health
• Information and Communication Technologies in Healthcare

Background:

• Digital health integrates various technologies (e-health, mobile health, telemedicine, big data, health apps) into healthcare.
• It exemplifies the application of health services research methodologies to complex interventions and contexts.
• This paper addresses digital health as both a subject and a challenge for health services research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine digital health within the framework of health services research.
• To identify the methodological and ethical challenges digital health poses to health services research.
• To emphasize the need for rigorous evidence to support digital health interventions.

Main Methods:

• Position paper discussing digital health's role in health services research.
• Analysis of existing evaluations of digital health interventions, particularly treatment support apps and big data applications.
• Consideration of ethical and social implications for health services research.

Main Results:

• Systematic evaluations of treatment support apps indicate risks may outweigh benefits.
• Big data-assisted interventions using artificial intelligence require stringent proof of efficacy.
• Uncritical adoption of digital health risks a return to simplistic biomedical research models.

Conclusions:

• Health services research must critically engage with digital health and big data, ensuring robust evidence generation.
• Anticipating and addressing the social consequences of digital health research is paramount.
• This engagement offers an opportunity for health services research to mature as a responsible scientific discipline.