Abstract – Interactive Health Communication Applications

(IHCAs) can make a valuable contribution to rheumatological care. The development of online health applications is moving quickly, and positive results have been shown. Yet solid research on use and acceptance of different information, communication and participation tools by patients is still lacking. In this qualitative study, we examined the health-related internet use of patients with rheumatic diseases, their motives for using or not using certain applications, and their needs and preferences with regard to a rheumatology IHCA. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with eighteen patients, who were selected from a hospital’s patient panel. Participants were diagnosed with eight different forms of rheumatism and their mean age was 50.7 years. The interviews were analyzed by two independent researchers. Results show that the applications most preferred b