Digital care applications (DiPA) were intended by the legislator as the equivalent of DiGA in the care sector. They are meant to support the everyday lives of people in need of care and those around them through web and smartphone apps.
So far, however, they have not arrived in the everyday reality of home care.
In November 2024, the only application for DiPA approval to date was rejected by the BfArM. The fall prevention app from the start-up Lindera did not make it into the DiPA directory.
According to an interview in the Handelsblatt Inside Digital Health newsletter, one of the BfArM’s reasons was that the study demonstrating the care benefit did not include a control group that receives no care services at all. According to Lindera, however, the statutory entitlement to care services stands in the way of this, which makes such a control group impossible.
Diana Heinrichs (founder of Lindera) is calling on the BfArM to adjust the assessment approaches for DiPA and, according to the interview, is in a combative mood: “We are 100 percent convinced: our app meets the requirements for a DiPA”.
If you are interested in DiPA, we have an interesting article on the topic on our blog: DiPA guide: digital applications for care