Background: Despite rapid developments and continuous improvements in digital health applications (DHAs) for inflammatory arthritis, maintaining patient adherence remains a significant challenge [1], with limited data on contributing factors.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate 12-week adherence to a rheumatology-focused DHA and its associations with disease duration, age, and gender in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA), including psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: Data from 2586 patients with RA, SpA/PsA were collected using the CE-certified Mida Rheuma App between January 2022 to December 2024 and analyzed retrospectively. The app supports non-pharmacological treatment by gathering data on quality of life, disease activity, mental/ physical health, diet, and physical activity through validated questionnaires. This data informs personalized, evidence-based management plans with daily tasks designed to encourage positive behavior changes. After excluding patients without a full baseline assessment or with less than 12 weeks of app use, 1599 patients were analyzed. Variables included demographics, time from diagnosis to app use, and 12-week adherence (defined as consistent use with full assessment completion at week 12). Patients were grouped by (1) gender, (2) age (<60 vs. ≥60 years), and (3) disease duration (early arthritis: <2 years; established arthritis ≥2 years).

Results: Of 1599 patients analyzed (901 RA, 698 SpA [247 with PsA], 77.1% were female, The mean age was 46.4±13.1 years. The median time from diagnosis to app use was 1.101 days (IQR: 197-3612) days. The overall 12-week adherence rate was 28.9%. Patients with established arthritis showed significantly higher adherence than those with early arthritis (32.9% vs. 23.3%, p<0.0001); at the same time, they were older than patients with early arthritis (48.6±13 vs. 43.3±12.3, p<0.0001) with no gender difference. Age had the strongest association with adherence: Patients aged ≥60 years demonstrated significantly higher adherence (42.6%) than younger patients (26.2%, p<0.0001). Gender did not significantly influence adherence (30.1% in males vs. 28.5% in females, p=0.595).

Conclusion: The Mida Rheuma App successfully engaged nearly one-third of users in consistent 12-week use, demonstrating its potential as a valuable tool for non-pharmacological management of arthritis patients. Higher adherence among older patients and those with longer disease duration suggests the value of app-usage in these subgroups. Further research is essential to identify factors driving adherence and to determine the optimal timing for implementing digital health interventions.

REFERENCES: [1] Labinsky, H., Gupta, L., Raimondo, M.G. et al. Real-world usage of digital health applications (DiGA) in rheumatology: results from a German patient survey. Rheumatol Int 43, 713–719 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-022-05261-7

Acknowledgements: NIL.

Disclosure of Interests: Dmytro Fedkov Shares in Midaia GmbH, Consultant for Midaia GmbH, Abdullah Khalil Shares of Midaia GmbH, employee of Midaia GmbH, Christine Peine Shares of Midaia GmbH, employee of Midaia GmbH, Felix Lang Shares of Midaia GmbH, employee of Midaia GmbH, Johannes Knitza: None declared, Jan Leipe: None declared.

© The Authors 2025. This abstract is an open access article published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ). Neither EULAR nor the publisher make any representation as to the accuracy of the content. The authors are solely responsible for the content in their abstract including accuracy of the facts, statements, results, conclusion, citing resources etc.