The Digital Health Team of the AIT Center for Health and Bioresources, in collaboration with the Center for Technology Experience, developed a checklist for health apps. This checklist helps users find trustworthy apps in nutrition, exercise, symptom checkers, and mental health. This initiative aims to enhance the digital health literacy of citizens and improve patient care quality through safe and effective digital solutions.
In the digital health landscape, patient and citizen data are often distributed across various systems and difficult to integrate. Data protection concerns and lack of interoperability pose significant challenges. Moreover, many people lack the ability to assess the quality and trustworthiness of health apps, leading to uncertainties and risks in their use.
Which app can I trust?
AIT developed a checklist based on the evaluation of 40 health apps. This checklist includes 37 criteria, such as security, quality assurance, functionality, evidence-based content, and user-friendliness. Users can complete the checklist online or download it as a PDF to make informed decisions about health app usage. The checklist helps assess the trustworthiness of apps and ensures they meet the highest standards.
"The evaluation of health apps has shown how complex and dynamic this field is. Our checklist provides users with valuable guidance to identify safe and trustworthy apps," explains Angelika Rzepka, Project Manager and Scientist in Digital Health Information Systems at AIT Center for Health and Bioresources. "With this initiative, we aim to enhance digital health literacy and help people make informed decisions about the apps they use."
The Digital Health Team at AIT
The AIT Digital Health Team has been pioneering digital health solutions for nearly two decades. Through projects like "D4Health Tirol" and the technical foundation for HerzMobil Tirol and Styria, AIT advances data science and telemedicine in Austria. Additionally, they develop various other solutions, such as Health Data Space Nodes that harmonize patient data from different sources for AI models and support the European Health Data Space. The team also organizes Austria's leading digital health conference, dHealth, in collaboration with OCG, ÖGMBT, and UMIT Tirol, set to take place for the 19th time from May 6-7, 2025.
User Experience and User Surveys
Important aspects of the apps include functionality, professional accuracy, user-friendliness, design, menu navigation, digital accessibility, and overall user experience – all ensured by Diotima Bertel, AIT Center for Technology Experience.
Digital Competence for Citizen Empowerment
With the new checklist for health apps, AIT makes a significant contribution to enhancing digital health literacy. Citizens are encouraged to use the checklist to ensure they are using trustworthy and useful health apps. Visit www.gesund-informiert.at to learn more about the checklist and download it.