[How digital is my practice? General practitioners' attitudes towards maturity measurements - An online survey]

Maturity measurements are becoming increasingly important in order to record the level of digitalization of healthcare institutions. To this point, the digital maturity of GP practices has hardly been measured. This study examines GPs' interest in maturity measurements and their perceptions of factors influencing the level of digitalization.

General practitioners in Germany were surveyed using web-based questionnaires on demographic information, their interest in maturity assessments, and factors influencing the level of digitalization. Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the influence of demographic characteristics on interest in maturity level measurements. Using a mean value comparison, a ranking of the most important factors influencing the level of digitalization from the GPs' perspective was established.

201 data sets were included in the analysis. The average interest of GPs in maturity measurements was 3.61 out of 5. The levels of digitalization of the practice and digital health literacy of patients were positively associated with interest in maturity measurements. The highest perceived influences on the level of digitalization were related to the technical infrastructure of medical practices.

In order to establish maturity level measurements in primary care, the interest of potential users such as GPs should be strengthened at an early stage by including their perspectives. The added value of the surveys in the development of maturity models should be worked out and clearly communicated to GPs.