JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

This review aims to explore the characteristics of digital health platforms and the corresponding digital interventions developed to support individuals with chronic diseases. This includes those platforms' design, development, and the metrics by which any incremental benefits they provide are assessed.

Objective:

The review aims to explore the characteristics of digital platforms and corresponding digital health interventions that have been developed to support individuals with chronic disease, including their design, development process and the metrices by which any incremental benefit they provide has been assessed.

Methods:

We followed the scoping review methodology proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. Relevant articles from the last ten years (2013-2022) were extracted from electronic databases. Extracted data were then synthesized using qualitative content analysis and presented in narrative form with relevant tables.

Results:

In total, we identified 36 digital health platforms supporting management of 20 chronic diseases. Most platforms were mobile apps (n=12) or a combination of web and mobile apps (n=11). Twenty-one of the platforms in the studies delivered bespoke digital health interventions. Eleven were either previously existing platforms or were adapted from previously developed platforms. Most of the platforms (n=32) were tailored to support self-management of chronic disease. These platforms also provided a web-based portal where healthcare providers could review and manage the information recorded by patients. In 77% of the studies, patients reported that the digital interventions delivered by the platform improved their quality of life, their health, and their ability to self-manage their chronic diseases. In addition, healthcare providers reported positive outcomes including improved clinical utility and patient communication. While short-term outcomes of the digital health interventions were largely positive, long-term outcomes remain unknown. This was because most of the studies were short-term pilots and often formative in nature. Many had limited sample sizes, limited participant uptake of the digital platforms, technical issues, or a lack of information about digital literacies. In many cases, further personalization of platforms was required to meet patients' self-management needs.

Conclusions:

Digital health interventions can be beneficial in the management of chronic disease. The adoption of digital interventions in combination with regular clinical care can improve health outcomes, support self-management, and enhance communication between patients and practitioners. Future research should focus on strategies to maintain long-term engagement and address the varying digital literacies of users. In addition, more user-centered (patient and clinician) co-design can enhance patients' uptake and engagement in using these digital health platforms. Clinical Trial: The scoping was registered in OSF (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/D8W7S)