JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Educating patients on the self-management of knee osteoarthritis reportedly reduces pain, improves activities of daily living, and even reduces healthcare costs.

Objective:

The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate and evaluate the efficacy of current developments in mobile health technology and smart phone applications for the self-management of knee osteoarthritis.

Methods:

PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were systematically searched using the keywords “knee osteoarthritis,” “mobile health,” and “self-management” in May 2021. Studies that investigated patients with knee osteoarthritis based on radiography or clinical diagnosis were included. The following criteria were applied to the phone applications included in the studies: the ability to (1) record and manage symptoms, (2) provide patient education, and (3) guide and record activities of daily living. Eligible studies were interventional trials or observational studies published in English.

Results:

Eight reports were included in this scoping review, of which three were randomized controlled trials and one was a conference abstract. Most studies provided data on the outcomes of pain, physical function, and quality of life.

Conclusions:

There are increasingly more reports on the effectiveness of mobile health in patients with knee osteoarthritis, and the data suggest that mobile heath efficacy is similar to conventional management. Clinical Trial: An mHealth app intervention for self-management of knee osteoarthritis : a protocol for a scoping review. https://protocols.io/view/an-mhealth-app-intervention-for-self-management-of-buuxnwxn.html; http://www.webcitation.org/5I2STSU61. Archived at: [doi: dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.buuxnwxn]