Abstract
BackgroundMobile health (mHealth) apps can be prescribed as an effective self-management tool for patients. However, it is challenging for doctors to navigate 350,000 mHealth apps to find the right ones to recommend. Although medical professionals from many countries are using mHealth apps to varying degrees, current mHealth app use by Australian general practitioners (GPs) and the barriers and facilitators they encounter when integrating mHealth apps in their clinical practice have not been reported comprehensively.ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate current knowledge and use of mHealth apps by GPs in Australia, (2) determine the barriers and facilitators to their use of mHealth apps in consultations, and (3) explore potential solutions to the barriers.MethodsWe helped the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to expand the mHealth section of their annual technology survey for 2017 based on the findings of our semistructured interviews with GPs to further explore barriers to using mHealth apps in clinical practice. The survey was distributed to the RACGP members nationwide between October 26 and December 3, 2017 using Qualtrics Web-based survey tool.ResultsA total of 1014 RACGP members responded (response rate 4.6% [1014/21,884], completion rate 61.2% [621/1014]). The median years practiced was 20.7 years. Two-thirds of the GPs used apps professionally in the forms of medical calculators and point-of-care references. A little over half of the GPs recommended apps for patients either daily (12.9%, 80/621), weekly (25.9%, 161/621), or monthly (13.4%, 83/621). Mindfulness and mental health apps were recommended most often (32.5%, 337/1036), followed by diet and nutrition (13.9%, 144/1036), exercise and fitness (12.7%, 132/1036), and women’s health (10%, 104/1036) related apps. Knowledge and usage of evidence-based apps from the Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions were low. The prevailing barriers to app prescription were the lack of knowledge of effective apps (59.9%, 372/621) and the lack of trustworthy source to access them (15.5%, 96/621). GPs expressed their need for a list of safe and effective apps from a trustworthy source, such as the RACGP, to overcome these barriers. They reported a preference for online video training material or webinar to learn more about mHealth apps.ConclusionsMost GPs are using apps professionally but recommending apps to patients sparingly. The main barriers to app prescription were the lack of knowledge of effective apps and the lack of trustworthy source to access them. A curated compilation of effective mHealth apps or an app library specifically aimed at GPs and health professionals would help solve both barriers.
Highlights
The proliferation of Digital Health tools, including mobile health apps and wearable sensors, holds great promise for improving human health
General wellness apps still account for the majority of health apps, but the number of apps focused on health condition management — those often associated with patient care — are increasing faster and account for 40% of all apps
Since our study in 2015, over 153,000 new Digital Health apps were introduced to the Apple Store and Google Play, adding more than 200 new health apps per day on average
Summary
The proliferation of Digital Health tools, including mobile health apps and wearable sensors, holds great promise for improving human health. Analyses of the Digital Health landscape published by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics in 2013 and 2015 found evidence still to be scarce and the value of Digital Health difficult to measure, this has changed and the benefits to patients are becoming clearer. Efforts to incorporate these tools into practice are underway. As digital tools focused on the detection, prevention, and management of specific diseases proliferate, this report explores the growing body of evidence that demonstrates their impact on human health and extrapolates the potential cost savings to the U.S healthcare system. Use of mobile technologies by various stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies in clinical trials, health systems in disease management and payers in wellness programs, are described, as well as the barriers and accelerators to their further use
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