Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. By measuring real-time data, mHealth apps, and wearables transform how users diagnose, treat, and manage chronic diseases. They enable users to manage their health actively, providing clinicians with valuable health insights. However, users face the challenge of identifying mHealth tools that meet their needs while providing a good user experience. This analysis aims to identify heart health apps and wearables in the DACH and major global players that are potential competitors to a start-up.

The thesis was divided into three key phases. First, an extensive literature review was conducted to understand better heart health, digitalization, the role of trust, and the barriers to digital health. Second, to compile a list of potential competitors, the Apple app store and Google Play store were searched using keywords to identify the apps that show up in the DACH region, which also includes global apps. Lastly, a thorough review of the apps and wearables was done using Jacob et al. (2023, pp. 7-8) foundational and contextual criteria to assess patient-facing e-health tools.

The analysis revealed several significant findings both for patients and clinicians. Firstly, patients are faced with a plethora of mHealth heart tools. Patients prefer apps that allow them to take a measurement instead of using it solely as a tracker. Additionally, most apps did not explicitly include women in the analysis or take into account changes in the body, leaving out a stakeholder that is more affected by CVD than men. Clinicians also face disadvantages as they are rarely integrated, and if so, it barely positively influences their workflow. Ratings and certifications are essential to clinicians as they must be supported with clinical trials and scientific data. While more wearables than apps were certified, there is a need for more scientific, research-supported information and mHealth heart tools to manage CVDs. Furthermore, there are no clear cost reimbursement pathways for digital health solutions, making it less attractive for clinicians to adopt them into their practice. Based on these findings, recommendations were suggested to account for missing stakeholders and to bridge the gap between patient and clinician.