Common barriers and facilitators to the implementation of digital medicine in chronic respiratory diseases: a systematic review of reviews
12 affiliations
- 1Department of Internal, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- 2Institute for Digital Medicine, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- 3Institute for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Research, Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land, Schönau am Königssee, Germany
- 4Department of Pulmonary Rehabilitation, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- 5Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- 6Medizinische Klinik V, Klinik für Pneumologie und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- 7Institute of General Practice, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- 8Qurasoft GmbH, Koblenz on the Rhine, Germany
- 9NVISION Systems and Technologies, Barcelona, Spain
- 100Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- 111The Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- 122Faculty of Medicine and Healthcare, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Abstract
Background and research questionDigital Medicine offers significant potential for improving care in Respiratory Medicine, yet its full uptake remains limited. Barriers and facilitators involve multiple stakeholders and are likely shared across diseases and technologies. This study had the following research question: What are the common barriers, facilitators, and transferable concepts for implementing Digital Medicine in respiratory diseases, exemplified by bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and COVID-19?Study design and methodsSystematic review of reviews. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science), as well as Cochrane Library were searched for review publications from September 2019 through May 2026. Nine included reviews were appraised using AMSTAR-2. Original publications referenced within these reviews were additionally screened for suitability for data extraction, leading to inclusion of 18 original publications. Extracted barriers and facilitators were visualized as disease- and actor-stratified co-occurrence networks and mapped to two implementation frameworks (CFIR and Chaudoir et al. 2013).ResultsNo COVID-19 publication met inclusion criteria. Asthma and, partially, CF evidence was rich and included institution-level data, while COPD evidence was less diverse. One CF program survey had structured its data according to the CFIR framework, enabling uniquely complete mapping of barriers and facilitators.ConclusionHigh-quality, framework-structured, network-visualizable evidence on barriers and facilitators to Digital Medicine exists in bronchial asthma and, partially, CF. In contrast, evidence on barriers and facilitators in COPD is not yet systematic. Future studies should be anchored in frameworks for sufficient comprehensiveness and facilitated knowledge translation into implementability.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251070944, PROSPERO, CRD420251070944.
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BibTeX
@article{korel2026common,
title = {{Common barriers and facilitators to the implementation of digital medicine in chronic respiratory diseases: a systematic review of reviews}},
author = {Julia Korel and Sebastian Kuhn and Rainer Gloeckl and Rembert Koczulla and Rembert Koczulla and Rembert Koczulla and Michael Dreher and Beate S. Müller and Ragnar Hirschbrich and Erwin Junker and Tobias Hastenteufel and Xavier Llauradó and Zouhair Haddi and Claus F. Vogelmeier and Gernot Rohde and Nurlan Dauletbaev and Nurlan Dauletbaev and Nurlan Dauletbaev and Nurlan Dauletbaev},
journal = {Frontiers in Digital Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fdgth.2026.1927835},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1927835},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Common barriers and facilitators to the implementation of digital medicine in chronic respiratory diseases: a systematic review of reviews
AU - Julia Korel
AU - Sebastian Kuhn
AU - Rainer Gloeckl
AU - Rembert Koczulla
AU - Rembert Koczulla
AU - Rembert Koczulla
AU - Michael Dreher
AU - Beate S. Müller
AU - Ragnar Hirschbrich
AU - Erwin Junker
AU - Tobias Hastenteufel
AU - Xavier Llauradó
AU - Zouhair Haddi
AU - Claus F. Vogelmeier
AU - Gernot Rohde
AU - Nurlan Dauletbaev
AU - Nurlan Dauletbaev
AU - Nurlan Dauletbaev
AU - Nurlan Dauletbaev
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Frontiers in Digital Health
DO - 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1927835
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2026.1927835
AB - Background and research questionDigital Medicine offers significant potential for improving care in Respiratory Medicine, yet its full uptake remains limited. Barriers and facilitators involve multiple stakeholders and are likely shared across diseases and technologies. This study had the following research question: What are the common barriers, facilitators, and transferable concepts for implementing Digital Medicine in respiratory diseases, exemplified by bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and COVID-19?Study design and methodsSystematic review of reviews. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science), as well as Cochrane Library were searched for review publications from September 2019 through May 2026. Nine included reviews were appraised using AMSTAR-2. Original publications referenced within these reviews were additionally screened for suitability for data extraction, leading to inclusion of 18 original publications. Extracted barriers and facilitators were visualized as disease- and actor-stratified co-occurrence networks and mapped to two implementation frameworks (CFIR and Chaudoir et al. 2013).ResultsNo COVID-19 publication met inclusion criteria. Asthma and, partially, CF evidence was rich and included institution-level data, while COPD evidence was less diverse. One CF program survey had structured its data according to the CFIR framework, enabling uniquely complete mapping of barriers and facilitators.ConclusionHigh-quality, framework-structured, network-visualizable evidence on barriers and facilitators to Digital Medicine exists in bronchial asthma and, partially, CF. In contrast, evidence on barriers and facilitators in COPD is not yet systematic. Future studies should be anchored in frameworks for sufficient comprehensiveness and facilitated knowledge translation into implementability.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251070944, PROSPERO, CRD420251070944.
SN - 2673-253X
ER -