Choose a team name.

Team HenClaSör

Summarize your insights with a short description (about 150 words).

DiGA: The „Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen“(„Digital Health Applications“) is a program that aims to provide patients with access to digital health applications that are approved by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). These applications can be used to support the treatment of various medical conditions, such as diabetes, depression, or chronic pain. To be temporarily approved as a DiGA, an application must meet certain safety and data protection standards. This is not an easy task and often takes a lot of money and time. Once this is achieved, DiGAs can, for the duration of one year, be prescribed by doctors and reimbursed by health insurance companies. During said year, the application must demonstrate that it has a positive effect on patient health outcomes, and can thus be permanently approved. Otherwise, the application will be struck from the record of DiGA.

ePA: The ePa, the electronic patient record, is designed as a standardised secure medical data storage provided by the patients German health insurance. Medical emergency data, medical reports, vaccination certificates, examination requests and more are easily accessible to the patient. The extent to which doctors can access these records depends on the permission of the patient. This eases the complications of record compilation for a complete overview of said patients health and can therefore prevent, for example, loss of information, delayed treatment or diagnosis as well as unnecessary repeated examinations.

Please answer the following questions (first part of the Five Ws):

1. What is the challenge you would like to tackle? For example, the registration process is challenging, the privacy policy is not well explained, and the utility of the app is not transparent.

For the project of our choice, the DiGA, there are multiple areas of potential problems that can impact the use of the applications. 

Useability – Are said features easy to use, or unnecessary complicated? Does the user understand the GTC(general standard terms and conditions) and how the data entered into this app can be used by the company of this application? 

Utility – does the application offer the necessary features to properly help the patient manage their illness and/or problems resulting from said illness? 

Security – how secure is the storage of personal and medical data? Can the data entered be lost easily, is there an option for a backup?

2. Why do you expect your engagement to be useful?
   Why is that an interesting problem?

Any issues examined in the context of this course can then be used to assist developers in further development of the examined, and similar, application. The better these applications are, the more they can help people struggling with a variety of health issues.

3. Who are your intended stakeholders?
   And who might be the indirect stakeholders?
   For example, elderlies, parents, people with a certain illness, etc.

As we examine the application for issues on security, utility and usability, one of our intended stakeholders are developers of applications. Another stakeholder are patients struggling with health issues said applications are intended to assist with.

Indirect stakeholders are Health insurance providers. They can profit from the increasing effects, as DiGAs can replace more costly treatment, especially in matters of mental health, as well as the patients immediate social circles, who gain from said patients‘ increased or more manageable health.