In its most trending interpretation, empowerment in health care is implemented as a patient-centered approach. In the same sense, many mobile health (mHealth) apps are being developed with a primary focus on the individual user. The integration of mHealth apps into the health care system has the potential to counteract existing challenges, including incomplete or nonstandardized medical data and lack of communication, especially in the intersectional context (eg, patients, medical forces). However, concerns about data security and privacy, regional differences in regulations, lack of accessibility, and nontransparent apps hinder the successful integration of mHealth into the health care system. One approach to address this is to rethink the interpretation of empowerment. On that basis, we here examine existing approaches of individual empowerment and subsequently analyze a different view of empowerment in digital health, namely interaction empowerment. Such a change of perspective could positively influence intersectoral communication and facilitate secure data and knowledge sharing. We discuss this novel viewpoint on empowerment, focusing on more efficient integration and development of mHealth approaches. A renewed interpretation of empowerment could thus buffer current limitations of individual empowerment while also advancing digitization of the health system.
Keywords: digital health; health care network; interaction empowerment; intersectoral communication; mHealth; mobile apps; patient empowerment; patient-doctor relationship.
©Marietta Hamberger, Nensi Ikonomi, Julian D Schwab, Silke D Werle, Axel Fürstberger, Angelika MR Kestler, Martin Holderried, Udo X Kaisers, Florian Steger, Hans A Kestler. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (https://mhealth.jmir.org), 13.04.2022.