JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Despite the prevalence and noted health impacts of mobile health (mHealth) technologies for patients, there is still no clear standard for how to evaluate these tools for patient self-management of chronic conditions.

Objective:

This scoping review aims to document the methods and measures used to assess mHealth apps and system interventions intended for use by patients for self-management of chronic non-communicable disease (NCDs).

Methods:

Searches were performed within PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and ProQuest Research Library for literature published in English between Jan. 1, 2015 and Jan. 18, 2019. Search terms included combinations of the description of the intention of the intervention, e.g. self-efficacy or self-management, and description of the intervention platform, e.g. “mobile application” or sensor. Article selection was based on if the intervention described the patient, with a chronic NCD, as the primary user of a tool that would be always-available to them for their self-management. Data-extraction included study design, health condition(s), participants, intervention type (app or system), methods used and what was measured. Study results were not included in this review.

Results:

A total of 31 articles met inclusion criteria. Results were reported as either mHealth app interventions (n=15), i.e. single device, or mHealth system interventions (n=17), i.e. more than one tool. The most common methods were collection of usage-logs, which was used in 21 studies, followed by standardized questionnaires (n=18) and study-specific questionnaires (n=13). App interactions were the most common measure taken, and were reported in 19 studies, followed by usability/feasibility (n=17), and patient-reported health data via the app (n=15).

Conclusions:

mHealth intervention studies have started to take advantage of the additional resources that this novel technology provides, e.g. app usage-logs and patient-involved research methods, to find the impact of mHealth on patients and other stakeholders, e.g. informal and formal careers. This is an important step in health intervention research as mHealth technologies become more prevalent and the call for evidence continues to push for not only the traditional clinical health measures but also the impact on patients’ self-efficacy and engagement.