Real-World-Evidence of Digital Health Applications (DiGAs) in Rheumatology: Insights from the DiGAReal Registry.

IF 2.9 3区医学 Q2 RHEUMATOLOGY

Rheumatology and Therapy Pub Date : 2025-01-21 DOI:10.1007/s40744-025-00744-y

Alexander Albrecht, Jule Taubmann, Ioanna Minopoulou, Lukas Hatscher, Stefan Kleinert, Felix Mühlensiepen, Martin Welcker, Jan Leipe, Nils Schulz, Philipp Klemm, Axel Hueber, Georg Schett, Sebastian Kuhn, Hannah Labinsky, Johannes Knitza

{"title":"Real-World-Evidence of Digital Health Applications (DiGAs) in Rheumatology: Insights from the DiGAReal Registry.","authors":"Alexander Albrecht, Jule Taubmann, Ioanna Minopoulou, Lukas Hatscher, Stefan Kleinert, Felix Mühlensiepen, Martin Welcker, Jan Leipe, Nils Schulz, Philipp Klemm, Axel Hueber, Georg Schett, Sebastian Kuhn, Hannah Labinsky, Johannes Knitza","doi":"10.1007/s40744-025-00744-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Prescribable digital health applications (DiGAs) present scalable solutions to improve patient self-management in rheumatology, however real-world evidence is scarce. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effectiveness, usage, and usability of DiGAs prescribed by rheumatologists, as well as patient satisfaction.Methods: The DiGAReal registry includes adult patients with rheumatic conditions who received a DiGA prescription. Data at baseline (T0) and the 3-month follow-up (T1) were collected through electronic questionnaires. Study outcomes included DiGA-specific outcome assessments as well as generic outcome assessments, including the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), Patient Activation Measure (PAM®), and the German Telehealth Usability and Utility Short Questionnaire (TUUSQ). Changes between T0 and T1 were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired tests.Results: A total of 191 patients were included between June 2022 and April 2023. Of these, 127 completed the 3-month follow-up, and 114 reported using the prescribed DiGA, with 66% reporting weekly use and 15% completing the full DiGA program. The most commonly prescribed DiGAs targeted pain management (53%). Symptom improvement was reported by 51% of patients using a DiGA, with significant reductions in exhaustion levels (p = 0.03). Significant DiGA-specific improvements were observed for DiGAs addressing back pain (p = 0.05) and insomnia (p = 0.006). However, no overall significant changes were detected in patient activation, health literacy, pain, overall health, or disease activity. Back pain and weight management DiGAs were the most effective, frequently used, and best-rated DiGAs, with symptom improvements reported by 50% to 82% of patients.Conclusion: The findings suggest that DiGAs can improve symptom management in rheumatic patients, especially for conditions like back pain and weight control. Further real-world evidence is needed and may support value-based digital health efforts and reimbursement frameworks.","PeriodicalId":21267,"journal":{"name":"Rheumatology and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Rheumatology and Therapy","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40744-025-00744-y","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"RHEUMATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: Prescribable digital health applications (DiGAs) present scalable solutions to improve patient self-management in rheumatology, however real-world evidence is scarce. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effectiveness, usage, and usability of DiGAs prescribed by rheumatologists, as well as patient satisfaction.

Methods: The DiGAReal registry includes adult patients with rheumatic conditions who received a DiGA prescription. Data at baseline (T0) and the 3-month follow-up (T1) were collected through electronic questionnaires. Study outcomes included DiGA-specific outcome assessments as well as generic outcome assessments, including the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), Patient Activation Measure (PAM®), and the German Telehealth Usability and Utility Short Questionnaire (TUUSQ). Changes between T0 and T1 were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired tests.

Results: A total of 191 patients were included between June 2022 and April 2023. Of these, 127 completed the 3-month follow-up, and 114 reported using the prescribed DiGA, with 66% reporting weekly use and 15% completing the full DiGA program. The most commonly prescribed DiGAs targeted pain management (53%). Symptom improvement was reported by 51% of patients using a DiGA, with significant reductions in exhaustion levels (p = 0.03). Significant DiGA-specific improvements were observed for DiGAs addressing back pain (p = 0.05) and insomnia (p = 0.006). However, no overall significant changes were detected in patient activation, health literacy, pain, overall health, or disease activity. Back pain and weight management DiGAs were the most effective, frequently used, and best-rated DiGAs, with symptom improvements reported by 50% to 82% of patients.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that DiGAs can improve symptom management in rheumatic patients, especially for conditions like back pain and weight control. Further real-world evidence is needed and may support value-based digital health efforts and reimbursement frameworks.

查看原文本刊更多论文

风湿病学中数字健康应用（DiGAs）的真实世界证据：来自DiGAReal注册的见解。

导言：处方数字健康应用（DiGAs）提供了可扩展的解决方案，以改善风湿病患者的自我管理，然而现实世界的证据是稀缺的。因此，我们的目的是评估风湿病医生处方的diga的有效性、使用情况和可用性，以及患者满意度。方法：DiGAReal登记包括接受DiGA处方的风湿病成年患者。通过电子问卷收集基线（T0）和3个月随访（T1）的数据。研究结果包括diga特定结果评估和通用结果评估，包括患者总体变化印象（PGIC）、患者激活测量（PAM®）和德国远程医疗可用性和效用简短问卷（TUUSQ）。使用描述性统计和配对检验分析T0和T1之间的变化。结果：在2022年6月至2023年4月期间共纳入191例患者。其中127人完成了3个月的随访，114人使用了规定的DiGA， 66%的人每周使用一次，15%的人完成了完整的DiGA计划。最常用的diga是针对疼痛的治疗（53%）。51%使用DiGA的患者报告症状改善，疲劳程度显著降低（p = 0.03）。diga在治疗背痛（p = 0.05）和失眠（p = 0.006）方面有显著改善。然而，在患者激活、健康素养、疼痛、整体健康或疾病活动性方面没有发现总体显著变化。背部疼痛和体重管理diga是最有效、最常用和评价最高的diga， 50%至82%的患者报告症状改善。结论：研究结果表明，diga可以改善风湿病患者的症状管理，特别是对背痛和体重控制等疾病。需要进一步的真实证据，并可能支持基于价值的数字卫生工作和报销框架。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Rheumatology and Therapy RHEUMATOLOGY-

CiteScore

6.00

自引率

5.30%

发文量

审稿时长

6 weeks

期刊介绍： Aims and Scope Rheumatology and Therapy is an international, open access, peer reviewed, rapid publication journal dedicated to the publication of high-quality clinical (all phases), observational, real-world and health outcomes research around the discovery, development, and use of rheumatologic therapies. Studies relating to diagnosis, pharmacoeconomics, public health, quality of life, and patient care, management, and education are also welcomed. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, gouty arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, juvenile idiopathic/rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, axial spondyloarthritis, Pompe’s disease, inflammatory joint conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, systemic sclerosis, and fibromyalgia. The journal is of interest to a broad audience of healthcare professionals and publishes original research, reviews, case reports, trial protocols, communications and letters. The journal is read by a global audience and receives submissions from all over the world. Rheumatology and Therapy will consider all scientifically sound research be it positive, confirmatory or negative data. Submissions are welcomed whether they relate to an international and/or a country-specific audience, something that is crucially important when researchers are trying to target more specific patient populations. This inclusive approach allows the journal to assist in the dissemination of all scientifically and ethically sound research. Ethics and Disclosures The journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and subscribes to its principles on how to deal with acts of misconduct thereby committing to investigate allegations of misconduct in order to ensure the integrity of research. Content in this journal is peer-reviewed (Single-blind). For more information on our publishing ethics policies, please see here: https://www.springer.com/gp/editorial-policies Rapid Publication The journal’s rapid publication timelines aim for a peer review decision within 2 weeks of submission. If an article is accepted it will be published online 3-4 weeks from acceptance. These rapid timelines are achieved through the combination of a dedicated in-house editorial team, who closely manage article workflow, and an extensive Editorial and Advisory Board who assist with rapid peer review. This allows the journal to support the rapid dissemination of research, whilst still providing robust peer review. Combined with the journal’s open access model this allows for the rapid and efficient communication of the latest research and reviews, allowing the advancement of rheumatologic therapies. Personal Service The journal’s dedicated in-house editorial team offer a personal “concierge service” meaning that authors will always have a personal point of contact able to update them on the status of their manuscript. The editorial team check all manuscripts to ensure that articles conform to the most recent COPE, GPP and ICMJE publishing guidelines. This supports the publication of ethically sound and transparent research. We also encourage pre-submission enquiries and are always happy to provide a confidential assessment of manuscripts. Digital Features Rheumatology and Therapy offers a range of additional features designed to increase the visibility, readership and educational value of the journal’s content. Each article is accompanied by key summary points, giving a time-efficient overview of the content to a wide readership. Articles may be accompanied by plain language summaries to assist readers who have some knowledge of, but not in-depth expertise in, the area to understand the scientific content and overall implications of the article. The journal also provides the option to include various types of digital features including animated abstracts, video abstracts, slide decks, audio slides, instructional videos, infographics, podcasts and animations. All additional features are peer reviewed to the same high standard as the article itself. If you consider that your paper would benefit from the inclusion of a digital feature, please let us know. Our editorial team are able to create high-quality slide decks and infographics in-house, and video abstracts through our partner Research Square, and would be happy to assist in any way we can. For further information about digital features, please contact the journal editor (see ‘Contact the Journal’ for email address), and see the ‘Guidelines for digital features and plain language summaries’ document under ‘Submission guidelines’. For examples of digital features please visit: https://springerhealthcare.com/expertise/publishing-digital-features/ Preprints We encourage posting of preprints of primary research manuscripts on preprint servers, authors'' or institutional websites, and open communications between researchers whether on community preprint servers or preprint commenting platforms. Posting of preprints is not considered prior publication and will not jeopardize consideration in our journals. Authors should disclose details of preprint posting during the submission process or at any other point during consideration in the journal. Once the manuscript is published, it is the author''s responsibility to ensure that the preprint record is updated with a publication reference, including the DOI and a URL link to the published version of the article on the journal website. Please see here for further information on preprint sharing: https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/journal-author/journal-author-helpdesk/submission/1302#c16721550 Peer Review Process Upon submission, manuscripts are assessed by the editorial team to ensure they fit within the aims and scope of the journal and are also checked for plagiarism. All suitable submissions are then subject to a comprehensive single-blind peer review. Reviewers are selected based on their relevant expertise and publication history in the subject area. The journal has an extensive pool of editorial and advisory board members who have been selected to assist with peer review based on the afore-mentioned criteria. At least two extensive reviews are required to make the editorial decision. Where reviewer recommendations are conflicted, the editorial board will be contacted for further advice and a presiding decision. Manuscripts are then either accepted, rejected or authors are required to make major or minor revisions (both reviewer comments and editorial comments may need to be addressed). Once a revised manuscript is re-submitted, it is assessed along with the responses to reviewer comments and if it has been adequately revised it will be accepted for publication. Accepted manuscripts are then copyedited and typeset by the production team before online publication. Appeals against decisions following peer review are considered on a case-by-case basis and should be sent to the journal editor, and authors are welcome to make rebuttals against individual reviewer comments if appropriate. Considering the time and effort required for a detailed peer review we reward our regular reviewers with the opportunity to publish without publication fees (pending peer review) for every three reviews completed per calendar year. Copyright Rheumatology and Therapy is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License, which allows users to read, copy, distribute, and make derivative works for non-commercial purposes from the material, as long as the author of the original work is cited. The author assigns the exclusive right to any commercial use of the article to Springer. For more information about the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License, click here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0. Publication Fees Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be required to pay the mandatory Rapid Service Fee of €5,250/$6,000/£4,300. The journal will consider fee discounts and waivers for developing countries and this is decided on a case-by-case basis. Open Access All articles published by Rheumatology and Therapy are published open access. Contact For more information about the journal, including pre-submission enquiries, please contact charlotte.maddocks@springernature.com.