TY - JOUR

T1 - Toward a Digital Platform for the Self-Management of Noncommunicable Disease

T2 - Systematic Review of Platform-Like Interventions

AU - Tighe, Sarah A.

AU - Ball, Kylie

AU - Kensing, Finn

AU - Kayser, Lars

AU - Rawstorn, Jonathan C.

AU - Maddison, Ralph

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Background: Digital interventions are effective for health behavior change, as they enable the self-management of chronic, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). However, they often fail to facilitate the specific or current needs and preferences of the individual. A proposed alternative is a digital platform that hosts a suite of discrete, already existing digital health interventions. A platform architecture would allow users to explore a range of evidence-based solutions over time to optimize their self-management and health behavior change.Objective: This review aims to identify digital platform-like interventions and examine their potential for supporting self-management of NCDs and health behavior change.Methods: A literature search was conducted in January 2020 using EBSCOhost, PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE. No digital platforms were identified, so criteria were broadened to include digital platform-like interventions. Eligible platform-like interventions offered a suite of discrete, evidence-based health behavior change features to optimize self-management of NCDs in an adult population and provided digitally supported guidance for the user toward the features best suited to their needs and preferences. Data collected on interventions were guided by the CONSORT-EHEALTH (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials of Electronic and Mobile Health Applications and Online Telehealth) checklist, including evaluation data on effectiveness and process outcomes. The quality of the included literature was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.Results: A total of 7 studies were included for review. Targeted NCDs included cardiovascular diseases (CVD; n=3), diabetes (n=3), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=1). The mean adherence (based on the number of follow-up responders) was 69% (SD 20%). Of the 7 studies, 4 with the highest adherence rates (80%) were also guided by behavior change theories and took an iterative, user-centered approach to development, optimizing intervention relevance. All 7 interventions presented algorithm-supported user guidance tools, including electronic decision support, smart features that interact with patterns of use, and behavior change stage-matching tools. Of the 7 studies, 6 assessed changes in behavior. Significant effects in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were reported, but for no other specific health behaviors. However, positive behavior change was observed in studies that focused on comprehensive behavior change measures, such as self-care and self-management, each of which addresses several key lifestyle risk factors (eg, medication adherence). No significant difference was found for psychosocial outcomes (eg, quality of life). Significant changes in clinical outcomes were predominately related to disease-specific, multifaceted measures such as clinical disease control and cardiovascular risk score.Conclusions: Iterative, user-centered development of digital platform structures could optimize user engagement with self-management support through existing, evidence-based digital interventions. Offering a palette of interventions with an appropriate degree of guidance has the potential to facilitate disease-specific health behavior change and effective self-management among a myriad of users, conditions, or stages of care.

AB - Background: Digital interventions are effective for health behavior change, as they enable the self-management of chronic, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). However, they often fail to facilitate the specific or current needs and preferences of the individual. A proposed alternative is a digital platform that hosts a suite of discrete, already existing digital health interventions. A platform architecture would allow users to explore a range of evidence-based solutions over time to optimize their self-management and health behavior change.Objective: This review aims to identify digital platform-like interventions and examine their potential for supporting self-management of NCDs and health behavior change.Methods: A literature search was conducted in January 2020 using EBSCOhost, PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE. No digital platforms were identified, so criteria were broadened to include digital platform-like interventions. Eligible platform-like interventions offered a suite of discrete, evidence-based health behavior change features to optimize self-management of NCDs in an adult population and provided digitally supported guidance for the user toward the features best suited to their needs and preferences. Data collected on interventions were guided by the CONSORT-EHEALTH (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials of Electronic and Mobile Health Applications and Online Telehealth) checklist, including evaluation data on effectiveness and process outcomes. The quality of the included literature was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.Results: A total of 7 studies were included for review. Targeted NCDs included cardiovascular diseases (CVD; n=3), diabetes (n=3), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=1). The mean adherence (based on the number of follow-up responders) was 69% (SD 20%). Of the 7 studies, 4 with the highest adherence rates (80%) were also guided by behavior change theories and took an iterative, user-centered approach to development, optimizing intervention relevance. All 7 interventions presented algorithm-supported user guidance tools, including electronic decision support, smart features that interact with patterns of use, and behavior change stage-matching tools. Of the 7 studies, 6 assessed changes in behavior. Significant effects in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were reported, but for no other specific health behaviors. However, positive behavior change was observed in studies that focused on comprehensive behavior change measures, such as self-care and self-management, each of which addresses several key lifestyle risk factors (eg, medication adherence). No significant difference was found for psychosocial outcomes (eg, quality of life). Significant changes in clinical outcomes were predominately related to disease-specific, multifaceted measures such as clinical disease control and cardiovascular risk score.Conclusions: Iterative, user-centered development of digital platform structures could optimize user engagement with self-management support through existing, evidence-based digital interventions. Offering a palette of interventions with an appropriate degree of guidance has the potential to facilitate disease-specific health behavior change and effective self-management among a myriad of users, conditions, or stages of care.

KW - noncommunicable diseases

KW - chronic disease

KW - web-based intervention

KW - mobile health

KW - self-management

KW - health behavior

KW - mobile phone

KW - EVALUATING COMPLEX INTERVENTIONS

KW - AMERICAN-DIABETES-ASSOCIATION

KW - CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE

KW - CARDIAC REHABILITATION

KW - PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY

KW - CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE

KW - MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

KW - POSITION STATEMENT

KW - MOBILE-HEALTH

KW - BEHAVIOR

U2 - 10.2196/16774

DO - 10.2196/16774

M3 - Review

C2 - 33112239

VL - 22

JO - Journal of Medical Internet Research

JF - Journal of Medical Internet Research

SN - 1439-4456

IS - 10

M1 - 16774

ER -