Keywords: General Practice, Digital Health Technology, Europe, Homebound Persons

Background:

Homebound patients often face complex health needs and limited access to care. General practitioners (GPs) are central in supporting this population, yet providing consistent, coordinated care remains challenging. Digital health technologies (DHTs)—including telemedicine, mobile apps, and electronic health records—offer potential solutions, but their integration into homecare varies widely across Europe. Understanding how GPs perceive and use these tools is essential for improving care delivery and ensuring equitable access.

Research questions:

What are the views of European general practitioners on the use of digital health solutions in the care of home-bound patients?

Method:

This cross-sectional study will use an online survey with open- and closed-ended questions to explore GPs’ experiences with DHTs in home care. Participants include licensed GPs working in European countries who provide or coordinate home-based care. Participants will be recruited purposively through national GP networks and snowball sampling. The goal is to collect responses from European countries with different levels of digital development (as indicated by the World Health Organization), with a target of ≥20 participants per country. Data collection will continue until saturation is achieved. The survey will explore GPs’ views on commonly used digital tools and their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Responses will be analysed using content analysis, guided by the SWOT framework, and coded with NVivo software.

Results:

The study will generate insights into how GPs across Europe perceive and utilise DHTs in home-based care. Anticipated findings include strengths (e.g., improved access), weaknesses (e.g., digital barriers), opportunities (e.g., remote monitoring), and threats (e.g., data privacy concerns).

Conclusions:

This study aims to inform the effective integration of digital tools into home care by highlighting the experiences of frontline GPs. Findings will support policy development, GP training and technology design—ultimately aiming to improve care quality and access for homebound patients across diverse European healthcare systems.

Points for discussion:

1. How do variations in digital infrastructure and policy across European countries influence GPs’ adoption and attitudes toward digital health in home-based care?

2. What are the ethical and practical implications of replacing or supplementing in-person home visits with digital health interventions for home-bound patients?

3. How can the insights from this study be translated into actionable strategies for training, supporting, and empowering GPs to integrate digital health into home care practices?