Using Anonymous Data From A Digital Tool for Medical History-Taking To Improve Healthcare Services

Observation Of The Use Of Digital Tools for Medical History-Taking in Primary Care and Utilization of Anonymous Routine Data for Health Services Research

This study aims to understand how people use a mobile app that helps them record their symptoms before going to the doctor. Patients use the app on a tablet or other digital device. The app guides patients through a series of structured questions tailored to their symptoms. The data collected is then transferred to the practice's electronic record and is available to the treating doctor before and during the consultation.

In this project, anonymized usage data will be analyzed to contribute to the further development of the tool and to provide valuable insights for health services research.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Health Services Research

Detailed Description

In several studies the usability of digital medical history tools has been demonstrated. These tools allow acute complaints to be recorded using an app before a medical consultation and the data collected to be transferred to the electronic medical record.

The aim of the study is to investigate the effectiveness and use of a digital medical history tool that is becoming increasingly popular in general practice. To this end, it is aimed to evaluate anonymized usage data provided by the company that distributes the app, aidminutes gUG, as part of an observational study with the aim of identifying potential for further development and for questions of health services research (e.g. on the frequency of GP consultations, morbidity and frequency of complaints). This is a retrospective data analysis of anonymous routine data in a cross-sectional design.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Frank Müller, MD PhD; Phone Number: +495513965663; Email: frank.mueller@med.uni-goettingen.de
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Eva Maria Noack; Phone Number: +495513965745; Email: evamaria.noack@med.uni-goettingen.de

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Lower Saxony
    • Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany, 37073
      • Recruiting
      • Department of General Practice
      • Contact: Frank Müller, MD PhD; Phone Number: +495513965663; Email: frank.mueller@med.uni-goettingen.de

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Lower Saxony, Germany

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• all patients that use the app in a general practice that agreed to provide data
• all ages (including children if the app is used by parent or legal guardian)
• all complaints chosen in the app

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients that use the app in a general practice that did not agree to provide data
• patients that use the app in a general practice outside of the federal state Lower Saxony

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Patients; Patients who have used the digital medical history tool in one of the participating general practices

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Use patterns	Evaluation of the use patterns and frequencies of the medical history tool	From enrollment to the end of app use, up to 8 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Data quality	Investigation of the consistency and completeness of the medical history data collected by the medical history tool	From enrollment to the end of app use, up to 8 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital Goettingen

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2032
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2033

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 5, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 7, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 6, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: health services research; general practice; GP; digital medical history; anonymized usage data; GP consultations
• Other Study ID Numbers: 4/8/24

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: Needs to be discussed with responsible data officer

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No