IP4 healthcare: The physician-patient relationship in the adoption and everyday life integration process of digital media for chronic disease self-management

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Background: Digitalization and individualization as megatrends challenge the physician-patient relationship. Physicians play a vital role in patients’ self-management of chronic dis-eases by providing knowledge about the disease and its therapy and advising on behaviors during treatment in the physician-patient relationship. Within this relationship, digital media can be used for different purposes, for example, for information exchange and search or for data exchange and contact (e.g., via telemedicine). So far, research has only considered specific aspects, e.g., the self-perception of physicians’ or patients’ digital media use, and selected factors influencing the recommendations and acceptance of digital media for self-management. To gain a holistic picture, research must be theory-based and focus on the ne-gotiation and mediation process as deliberative communication about therapy and thus about the use of digital media for self-management of chronic diseases, which aims at the everyday life integration of health-related digital media. The research project adapts the actor-structure dynamics of Uwe Schimank to analyze actor constellations and structures that determine individual action and interaction and the development of the everyday life integration of health-related digital media through therapy. Objectives: IP4 aims to (1) theoretically conceptualize the physician-patient relationship by adapting the actor-structure-dynamics, (2) gain a holistic, systematic, and reciprocal view of the physician-patient relationship, and (3) investigate all facets of the physician-patient rela-tionship as actor-structure-dynamics, capturing physicians’ and patients’ self- and mutual perceptions. Work program: IP4 conducts four interrelated studies: (1) An online survey of 250 general physicians, otolaryngologists, diabetologists, or internists, (2) semi-structured interviews with 60 physician-patient dyads, (3) participatory observations of consulting hours, and (4) focus groups with four physicians and one with four patients each to discuss, interpret, and contex-tualize our findings. Studies 3 and 4 are designed as qualitative panels (two waves). Collaborations and Interest groups: Bi- and multilateral cooperation mainly with IP5: peers, IP6: organizations, and IP7: reporting. From a theoretical and methodological point of view, IP4: healthcare is engaged in the three concept groups within the RU, namely, CG: continued use, CG: expectancy-value theories, and CG: network approach. Expected results/contributions: The theoretical modeling of the physician-patient relation-ship will be adapted based on the empirical results. With its multi-methodological design, the research project expands the state of research by casting a process perspective on the phy-sician-patient relationship, focusing on the negotiation and mediation process of digital media use for chronic disease self-management in its entirety.