173 S General discussion younger nurses exhibit greater involvement in recommending the application, suggesting generational differences in attitudes toward the digitalisation of healthcare. Discussing the application briefly or immediately before surgery may result in limited usage. One of the crucial challenges lies in securing sufficient funding to sustain technical maintenance, periodic updates based on new insights, and the implementation of the app in clinical practice. Generally, medical applications are funded by subsidiaries that cover the costs of development and the initial clinical evaluation. However, a potential risk emerges after clinical evaluation when subsidies are depleted, leaving well-validated medical applications in jeopardy. It is imperative to establish financial support mechanisms for medical applications, ideally to make them freely available to patients. Although certain applications may find additional funds, a more comprehensive and structural assurance is essential to guarantee the continued availability of well-validated applications. CONCLUSION This thesis emphasises the feasibility of integrating medical applications into colorectal surgical care, revealing their potential to enhance patient empowerment and other outcomes. However, the prevailing challenge is that the majority of presently available apps lack sufficient clinical evaluation regarding their effectiveness and safety. The journey toward the systematic integration of medical apps into clinical practice demands the overcoming of several hurdles.
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