JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Electronic diaries are recommended to monitor variation in mood and behavior in daily life, yielding insights for coping and resilience. Although these diaries are increasingly used in healthcare, information is lacking about what determines its use.

Objective:

This study maps the existing knowledge and gaps concerning factors that influence the use of electronic diaries in healthcare.

Methods:

A scoping review of the literature published between January 2000 and December 2018 queried PubMed and PsycInfo databases. English or Dutch publications based on empirical data about factors that influence the use of electronic diaries for psychosocial or physical purposes were included. Both databases were screened and findings were summarized using a directed content analysis organized by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Results:

Out of 3170 articles, 22 studies were selected for qualitative synthesis. Eleven themes could be determined in the CFIR categories intervention, user characteristics and process, and no information was found for the CFIR categories inner and outer setting. Reminders, attractive designs, tailored and clear data visualization, smartphone experience and intrinsic motivation to change behavior could influence the use of electronic diaries. During the implementation process, attention should be paid to both theoretical and practical training.

Conclusions:

This scoping review maps important factors related to the use of electronic diaries. It is remarkable that there were no empirical data about factors related to the embedding in daily clinical practice. Future research needs to focus on these factors as well as the causal relationships between all influencing factors and use.