Rationale

The presented work is meant to provide insights into current developments and trends with respect to the use of mobile health apps. A special emphasis shall be placed on the areas of prevention, diagnostics and therapy as well as healthcare in general, for example regarding the care for patients with chronic conditions, elderly people or rural populations. Other important areas of interest are the identification of risks that may arise from using health apps, especially in the context of data protection and data security. An appraisal of the practical, as well as regulatory hurdles one may encounter when using health-related apps in various use cases is given along with a description of points where adaptations to existing regulations might be advised. In addition, the ethical implications of using health-related apps in various contexts are outlined. In order to better respond to the needs of individual stakeholders, i.e. patients as well as medical professionals and developers of health apps, an outline of possible ways to support each of these groups is provided. Finally, the closing summary chapter describes important areas where action may be advised to be able to eliminate the identified hurdles, which may be technical in nature, but may also be due to legal or ethical concerns. This aims at minimising potential risks for all those who are dealing with health related apps, but may also serve to provide insights into how relevant uses of mobile technologies in health contexts can be promoted