JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) offers a potential solution to manage the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions challenges in healthcare systems worldwide, but its economic evaluation remains unsolved.

Objective:

To explore methodologies used in economic evaluations of RPM for chronic conditions. It focuses on approaches to cost estimation, including cost identification, measurement and valuation, as well as the reporting quality.

Methods:

A systematic scoping review searching Embase, Medline, CINAHL, and Web of Science identified 41 articles. Economic evaluation methods and reporting quality were assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist. Data were synthesized thematically. The protocol for this review was registered in the Open Science Framework.

Results:

Studies employed diverse evaluation methods: cost-effectiveness analysis (20 studies), cost-utility analysis (13 studies), cost-consequence analysis (7 studies), cost-minimization analysis (3 studies), cost analysis (8 studies), and budget impact analysis (1 study). Significant variability in cost methodologies and inconsistent reporting were observed. Adherence to updated standards like CHEERS 2022 was limited, with gaps in sensitivity analyses and transparency in cost data.

Conclusions:

Economic evaluations of RPM show mixed cost-effectiveness results. Key limitations include inconsistent cost methodologies and inadequate adherence to reporting standards, complicating cross-study comparisons. Future research should prioritize standardized, transparent reporting protocols to enhance the comparability and generalizability of findings for RPM.