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Behoeften en ervaringen van mensen met digitale zelfzorgprogramma’s: verdiepend onderzoek naar digitale zelfhulp onder twee doelgroepen.

Keij, B., Vaart, R. van der, Deursen, L. van, Alblas, E.E., Tuyl, L.H.D. van, Aardoom, J.J. Behoeften en ervaringen van mensen met digitale zelfzorgprogramma’s: verdiepend onderzoek naar digitale zelfhulp onder twee doelgroepen. Bilthoven: RIVM, 2024. 42 p.
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SYNOPSIS

2023 eHealth Monitor: in-depth research into digital self-management applications among two target groups

Since 2013, the development of digital healthcare in the Netherlands has been monitored every year. Each year, a specific partof digital healthcare is examined in more detail. In 2023, we looked at how specific groups of people can use and experience digital self-management applications. We interviewed people who have an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes (prediabetics) and people who have completed cancer treatment.

This research shows that people are willing to take control of their own health. Additionally, both groups are positive about the addition of digital self-management applications to the healthcare system. However, a number of things are important to them when using digital applications to change their lifestyle (eating, physical activity, stress and sleep) or in post-cancer care. For example, when receiving advice in a lifestyle-app, this must be supported by people in that person’s social environment, such as family or neighbours. It is also important that the applications are free to use or reimbursed by their health insurance.

Both groups want their healthcare provider to help them choose digital applications. For prediabetics, there are so many lifestyle-apps that people no longer know what to choose. By contrast, cancer survivors do not know that digital post-cancer care applications exist and where they can find them. It is important that care providers issue more guidance on this.

Some people who have found the right digital-self management applications would like support to help them use them. For prediabetics, this could be general practitioners, dietitians and Combined Lifestyle Intervention (CLI) coaches, for example. For people in post-cancer care, this could include oncologists, nurses and general practice mental health nurses (praktijkondersteuner huisarts geestelijke gezondheidszorg, POH-GGZ). It is important that support staff have the time to provide this help.

The eHealth Monitor is conducted at the request of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. RIVM has been
conducting this study since 2020, in partnership with Nivel and the National eHealth Living Lab (NeLL, LUMC). Care providers, developers of digital applications, policymakers and patients can use this research to improve digital healthcare.