General and dermatological population's use and acceptance of digital health in Germany – a representative survey

Abstract

SummaryBackground and ObjectivesAdoption and acceptance of digital health services (DHS) in the German population and in persons with skin diseases is unclear. Both factors were analyzed in this survey.MethodsA standardized survey with items on digital competences and attitudes, use and acceptance of DHS was applied to a representative sample of the German adult population. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted.ResultsOut of 2,101 participants, 29.9% reported having had skin diseases in the last 12 months. Among them, adoption and acceptance were at 43.6% and 52.3%, respectively. Both values are significantly higher compared to participants without skin diseases (29.2%; p < 0.01 and 45.5%; p < 0.01). 18.9% of participants with a skin disease used digital diagnostic support, but only 9.7% applied it for a skin disease (p < 0.01). For all participants, with and without skin disease, the DHS most commonly used were passive health monitoring (14.3%) and diagnostic support (11.5%), telemedicine was least used (4.7% video‐consultation, 2.5% store‐and‐forward). Use and acceptance were associated with young age, education, low data privacy concerns, digital confidence, having a skin disease, and high severity of skin disease.ConclusionsDHS for skin diseases are used rarely but have a high potential.