JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the provision of and access to healthcare have been uniquely challenging, particularly during lockdowns or when dealing with COVID-19 cases. Healthcare professionals have had to provide patients with necessary healthcare. However, delivering healthcare services while reducing face-to-face interaction puts an immense strain on health systems that are already overburdened. Against this backdrop, it is now more critical than ever to ensure the accessibility of healthcare services. Such access has been made increasingly available through mobile health applications (mHealth). These applications have the potential to significantly improve healthcare outcomes and expectations and address some of the challenges that are confronting healthcare systems worldwide. Despite the advantages of mHealth, however, the acceptance and adoption of mHealth remains low. Hence, healthcare organizations must consider the perceptions and opinions of physicians if the technology is to be successfully implemented.

Objective:

The objectives of this systematic review were to explore and synthesize the scientific literature on the influencing factors for the acceptance and adoption of mHealth among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

A systematic review of the studies published between March 2020 and December 2022 was conducted using the MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and ProQuest databases. The database search yielded an initial sample of 455 potential publications for analysis, of which nine met the inclusion criteria. The methodology of this review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA).

Results:

The factors influencing mHealth acceptance and adoption by physicians were divided into perceived barriers and perceived facilitators, which were further grouped into three major thematic categories: technological, individual, and organizational factors. The barriers were accessibility, technical issues, usefulness, and data management (technological); perceived patient barriers, time and workload pressure, technical literacy, knowledge of mHealth, and peer support (individual); and financial factors, management support and engagement, data security, telemonitoring policy, and collaboration (organizational). The facilitators of uptake were technical issues, clinical usefulness, and data management (technological); patient-related care, intrinsic motivation, and collaboration and data sharing (individual); and workflow-related determinants, organizational financial support, recommendation of mHealth services, and evidence-based guidelines (organizational).

Conclusions:

This review summarized evidence on the influencing factors for mHealth acceptance and adoption by physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main findings highlighted the importance of addressing organizational readiness to support physicians with adequate resources, shifting the focus from technological to patient-centered factors, and the seamless integration of mHealth into routine practice during and beyond the pandemic.