Background The terms health app and medical app are often used interchangeably but do not necessarily mean the same thing. To better understand these terms and better regulate such technologies, we need distinct definitions of health and medical apps. Objective This study aimed to provide an overview of the definitions of health and medical apps from an interdisciplinary perspective. We summarized the core elements of the identified definitions for their holistic understanding in the context of digital public health. Methods The legal frameworks for medical device regulation in the United States, the European Union, and Germany formed the basis of this study. We then searched 6 databases for articles defining health or medical apps from an interdisciplinary perspective. The narrative literature review was supported by a forward and backward snowball search for more original definitions of health and medical apps. A qualitative analysis was conducted on the identified relevant aspects and core elements of each definition. On the basis of these findings, we developed a holistic definition of health and medical apps and created a decision flowchart to highlight the differences between the 2 types. Results The legal framework showed that medical apps could be regulated as mobile medical devices, whereas there is no legal term for health apps. Our narrative literature review identified 204 peer-reviewed publications that offered a definition of health and medical apps. After screening for original definitions and applying the snowball method, 11.8% (24/204) of the publications were included in the qualitative analysis. Of these 24 publications, 22 (88%) provided an original definition of health apps and 11 (44%) described medical apps. The literature suggests that medical apps are a part of health apps. To describe health or medical apps, most definitions used the user group, a description of health, the device, the legal regulation, collected data, or technological functions. However, the regulation should not be a distinction criterion as it requires legal knowledge, which is neither suitable nor practical. An app’s intended medical or health use enables a clear differentiation between health and medical apps. Ultimately, the health aim of an app and its main target group are the only distinction criteria. Conclusions Health apps are software programs on mobile devices that process health-related data on or for their users. They can be used by every health-conscious person to maintain, improve, or manage the health of an individual or the community. As an umbrella term, health apps include medical apps. Medical apps share the same technological functions and devices. Health professionals, patients, and family caregivers are the main user groups. Medical apps are intended for clinical and medical purposes and can be legally regulated as mobile medical devices.

Background Rapid developments and implementation of digital technologies in public health domains throughout the last decades have changed the landscape of health delivery and disease prevention globally. A growing number of countries are introducing interventions such as online consultations, electronic health records, or telemedicine to their health systems to improve their populations’ health and improve access to health care. Despite multiple definitions for digital public health and the development of different digital interventions, no study has analyzed whether the utilized technologies fit the definition or the core characteristics of digital public health interventions. A scoping review is therefore needed to explore the extent of the literature on this topic. Objective The main aim of this scoping review is to outline real-world digital public health interventions on all levels of health care, prevention, and health. The second objective will be the mapping of reported intervention characteristics. These will include nontechnical elements and the technical features of an intervention. Methods We searched for relevant literature in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Xplore, and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Full-Text Collection. All original study types (observational studies, experimental trials, qualitative studies, and health-economic analyses), as well as governmental reports, books, book chapters, or peer-reviewed full-text conference papers were included when the evaluation and description of a digital health intervention was the primary intervention component. Two authors screened the articles independently in three stages (title, abstract, and full text). Two independent authors will also perform the data charting. We will report our results following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist. Results An additional systematic search in IEEE Xplore and ACM, performed on December 1, 2021, identified another 491 titles. We identified a total of 13,869 papers after deduplication. As of March 2022, the abstract screening state is complete, and we are in the state of screening the 1417 selected full texts for final inclusion. We estimate completing the review in April 2022. Conclusions To our knowledge, this will be the first scoping review to fill the theoretical definitions of digital public health with concrete interventions and their characteristics. Our scoping review will display the landscape of worldwide existing digital public health interventions that use information and communication technologies. The results of this review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal in early 2022, which can serve as a blueprint for the development of future digital public health interventions. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/33404

BACKGROUND The terms health app and medical app are often used interchangeably but do not necessarily mean the same. To better understand these terms and better regulate such technologies, we need distinct definitions of health and medical apps. Therefore, this paper aims to overview definitions for health and medical apps from an interdisciplinary perspective. We summarize core elements of identified definitions for their holistic understanding in the context of digital public health. OBJECTIVE This paper aims to overview definitions for health and medical apps from an interdisciplinary perspective. We summarize core elements of identified definitions for their holistic understanding in the context of digital public health. METHODS The legal frameworks for medical device regulation in the US, the European Union, and Germany form the base of this paper. We then searched six databases for articles defining health or medical apps from an interdisciplinary perspective. Qualitative analysis was conducted on identified relevant aspects and core elements of each definition. Based on the findings, we developed a holistic definition of health and medical apps and created a decision flow chart to highlight the differences between the two types. RESULTS The legal framework showed that medical apps could be regulated as mobile medical devices, while there is no legal term for health apps. Our review identified 22 peer-reviewed papers defining health apps and 11 describing medical apps. The literature suggests that medical apps are a part of health apps. For describing health or medical apps, most definitions used the user group, a description of health, the device, the legal regulation, collected data, or technological functions. CONCLUSIONS Health and medical apps can share the same device, collect health data, and have similar technological functions, making these criteria indeterminative for differentiation. The regulation should also not be a distinction criterion, as it requires legal knowledge, which is neither suitable nor practical. However, there is a difference in the main user group as medical apps address health professionals, patients, and family caregivers rather than health-conscious people. Additionally, an app's intended medical or health use enables a clear differentiation between health and medical apps. Ultimately, the health aim of an app and its main target group are the only distinction criteria. To conclude, health apps are software programs on mobile devices that process health-related data on/for their user. They can be used by every health-conscious person to maintain, improve or manage the health of an individual or the community. As an umbrella term, health apps include medical apps. Medical apps share the same technological functions and devices. Health professionals, patients, and family caregivers are the main user groups. Medical apps are intended for clinical and medical purposes and can legally be regulated as mobile medical devices.

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