Maddalena Fiordelli*, Institute of Communication and Health, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland Nicola Diviani, Institute of Communication and Health, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland Thomas Lips, Institute of Communication and Health, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland Peter J. Schulz*, Institute of Communication and Health, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland Track: Research Presentation Topic: Mobile & Tablet Health Applications Presentation Type: Oral presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Building: Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School Room: Auditorium Date: 2012-09-15 02:45 PM – 03:30 PM Last modified: 2012-09-12 Free Full Paper

If you are the presenter of this abstract (or if you cite this abstract in a talk or on a poster), please show the QR code in your slide or poster (QR code contains this URL).

Background: In the last decade mobile health is constantly expanding as part of e-Health. Mobile applications for health can target heterogeneous audiences and address specific needs in different situations, with diverse outcomes, and by complementing highly developed healthcare technologies. The market is constantly evolving, making countless new mobile technologies potentially available to the healthcare system. Yet, research on the applications of these technologies is still scarce.

Objectives: The main goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive view of what has been done so far in this field and to identify future research directions. Specifically, we focused on studies aiming to evaluate the impact of mobile phones on healthcare, and we sought to identify the main areas of healthcare delivery where mobile technologies can have an impact.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted on the use of mobile phones and smartphones in healthcare. Five electronic databases (CINHAL; Communication and Mass Media complete; PubMed; PsychINFO; Web of science) were searched with specific keywords for peer-reviewed publications about health and mobile technology. Identified publications were hand-searched for duplicates, and eventually merged into a single list. Abstracts were categorized using typologies which were partly adapted from existing literature, and partly created inductively from a subsample of the publications.

Results: A first search identified 4039 articles. After checking for duplicates 747 articles met our pre-defined inclusion criteria. Initially, articles were categorized by type of methodology used: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, review, and system design. Since articles in the last typology described the development of a mobile technology but did not include any actual testing, they were excluded from further analysis, reducing the final sample to 352 articles. More than half of the studies (56%) included testing of mobile phone applications to some extent, with proper interventions or in small samples. Most of the studies (86%) applied a quantitative methodology, and were designed to address simultaneously one or more impact areas. Almost one third was directed to patients’ self-management, 28% to communication amelioration, and 25% was dealing with health promotion issues. Other impact areas covered were remote monitoring and data gathering (around 20%), followed by improving adherence and education/training (around 15%). Most interestingly an upsurge was noticed, starting from 2008, when the articles doubled in comparison with the previous year, and this upward trend reached its maximum in 2011 (36% of the total in 10 years’ time period).

Conclusions: Research interest toward m-health is growing, together with an increasing complexity of the studies and specification of aims, as well as a diversification of the impact areas. Mapping the evolution of the field allows a better understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, and could inform future development of the field.