[Piloting an electronic death certificate (eTB app)-physicians' user experiences].

Abstract

Background: Funded by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, in cooperation with the Federal Statistical Office, developed an electronic death certificate app and tested it in two federal states to assess its user-friendliness and acceptance. Death certificates are filled out by hand and pass through various offices for transcription and coding before cause of death statistics are published. The certificates are often incorrect and difficult to read. In Germany, there are 16 different forms depending on the federal state, and none of them meet World Health Organization (WHO) requirements for international comparability.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used with validated questionnaires and semi-structured guided interviews (February to September 2023). The quantitative data were analysed descriptively with SPSS and the qualitative data were analysed using content analysis with MAXQDA.

Results: In two federal states, a total of 89 out of 201 physicians completed the surveys and a further 11 were interviewed. Almost all respondents (n = 70) have a positive attitude towards digitalisation in healthcare (94%), see a benefit in processes and organisation (93%) and have no concerns about data security (73%). The majority confirmed the user-friendliness of the eTB app. The qualitative data highlighted that plausibility checking, error prevention and improved readability were convincing arguments in favour of the eTB app.

Conclusion: The eTB app is easy to use and useful. In particular, the fast data transfer makes the eTB app an important milestone in digitalization. Improvements are required for use in practice.