# Primary care physicians’ perspectives on digital health tools for chronic disease management: A rapid review

## TL;DR

This paper explores how primary care physicians view digital health tools for managing chronic diseases, identifying key themes to guide better tool development and adoption.

## Contribution

The study provides a rapid review of PCP perspectives on DHTs, revealing new insights into physician–patient and physician–technology relationship dynamics.

## Key findings

- Seven subcategories of PCP perspectives were identified, including workload, data quality, and patient empowerment.
- Themes highlight the importance of considering physician–technology and physician–patient relationships in DHT design.
- Findings suggest that DHTs should support self-care while addressing PCP concerns about workload and liability.

## Abstract

Chronic disease management is a burden for many patients. Digital health tools (DHTs) can leverage technology to rapidly develop and disseminate interventions to alleviate obstacles faced and promote self-care. Primary care physicians (PCPs) are most directly involved in the care of chronic disease patients; however, their perspective is often overlooked. To develop an effective DHT for chronic disease management, PCP attitudes are critical to ensure improved patient integration, adoption and care outcomes. The purpose of this rapid review is to explore and identify PCPs’ perspectives and attitudes regarding DHTs for chronic disease management and generate major themes from our findings using key literature. The themes will be used to guide DHT creators, clinicians and policy makers on adoption and implementation considerations. We conducted a rapid review of primary qualitative research between 2000 and 2022. Two reviewers, independently, conducted study screening, selection, and data abstraction. The themes identified in the articles were extracted and presented narratively. The data was analyzed using NVIVO12 software. Braun and Clarke’s deductive thematic analysis was used, and the themes identified were extracted and presented narratively. Nine qualitative research studies met the inclusion criteria. Themes were classified into two major categories: physician–patient relationship and physician–technology relationship. Within these, seven subcategories were identified: (1) Increased Physician Workload, (2) Data Capture & Data Quality, (3) Evidence-Based Care, (4) Education and Training, (5) Liability, (6) Patient Interactions, and (7) Patient Empowerment and Suitability. DHT creators/endorsers need to consider how DHTs affect the patient–physician relationship and the physician–technology relationship as this affects how PCPs perceive DHTs. PCPs’ perspectives must be taken into consideration to promote self-care for patients living with chronic diseases.

Our team searched current literature to understand primary care physicians’ needs and attitudes toward health technology, more specifically digital health tools, created for patients living with chronic diseases. It is important to understand primary care physician attitudes as they are in frequent contact with their patients with chronic diseases. In fact, patients with chronic diseases who visit their primary care physician often can help reduce hospital admission rates. The findings from this rapid review will be crucial for a better understanding for considerations regarding digital health solutions for patients with chronic diseases. It will shed light on what primary care physicians need to do to support their patients, and what tool makers need to consider when creating and implementing digital health tools for patients trying to manage their condition. Our major insights and findings must be integrated into digital health tools/platforms that promote self-care, in order for them to be successful and adopted by key stakeholders such as primary care physicians and organizations.