Decoding Digital Therapeutics: A Qualitative Analysis of Software Features in German Digital Health Applications

Digital therapeutics (DTx) offer significant potential for enhancing patient care, but their functional elements remain underexplored. This study systematically analyzes and clusters 197 distinct features across 35 DTx, organizing them into 19 themes and six overarching dimensions. It distinguishes between features considered digital active ingredients and excipients of DTx, providing a comprehensive framework of their interactions. These findings offer valuable insights for stakeholders in the field, advancing the understanding of DTx building blocks.