DGIM working group presents concept for DiGA explanatory videos
24.04.2023 15:17
Digital health applications (DiGA) can become an important part of modern healthcare and can meaningfully complement medical treatment. But how can the manufacturers of “apps on prescription” convey the content, functions and the specific application of their products to doctors in a compact and targeted manner? In a current publication, the DiGA/KI working group in guidelines of the German Society for Internal Medicine eV (DGIM) proposes a concept for explanatory videos with uniform content, which present the structure and structure of a DiGA in individual modules and address specific questions about the respective product.
Science and the eHealth industry have been discussing digital health applications for a long time and the first DiGA have been available for prescription to those with statutory health insurance since September 2020. “However, when using an app or other digital applications, many doctors do not always understand the therapy principles and effectiveness straight away,” says Professor Dr. med. Martin Möckel, head of emergency medicine and the chest pain unit at the Berlin Charité and chairman of the DGIM working group DiGA/KI in guidelines. In the opinion of the DGIM-AG, the need for information that prescribers have about DiGA can best be met with uniformly structured explanatory videos. “A short video can demonstrate the exact handling of the app and can also be viewed again if necessary,” explains Möckel, explaining the additional advantage of a video compared to time-limited test access.
In a recent publication, the AG's DiGA experts have developed suggestions to help manufacturers as to how the videos should be structured and what content they should cover. “So that prescribers can access the videos as quickly as possible, it would make sense to structure them uniformly according to thematic modules,” says internist Möckel, describing a basic criterion. These modules should individually address questions about the type of DiGA and the indication, the principle of action and its scientific evidence, the role of the application in the patient journey and the effort on the part of the prescriber. Additional written reference material should complement the graphic explanation in the video.
“Just as with drug therapies, doctors must know the area of application and contraindications, understand exactly the principle of action and how a DiGA works and have an idea of how its effectiveness is scientifically proven,” says the AG chairman. “The better we, as those who prescribe the DiGA, are informed about its intended use in our patients’ everyday lives and about our tasks as prescribers, the more efficiently and effectively we can use it in everyday care,” adds the DGIM chairman Professor Dr. med. Ulf Müller-Ladner.
For full publication: www.dgim.de/kritikkatalog-erklaervideos