Evaluating the development processes of consumer mHealth interventions for chronic condition self-management: a scoping review

Innovative, patient-centered mHealth interventions have the potential to help with the burden of chronic conditions. This review aims to describe the development of consumer mHealth interventions for chronic condition self-management. A scoping review methodology was used to search medical databases for eligible reports, published between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017, that provided information on consumer mHealth interventions for respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Twenty-one reports were included, representing the development of 14 mHealth interventions. Most were developed collaboratively, using user-centered and participatory design processes. Predesign work involved a thorough needs assessment, and redesign processes were described as iterative, engaging with usability testing and design improvements. Tensions from competing priorities between patients and healthcare professionals were uncovered, with the intention to develop a useful product for the patient while ensuring clinical relevance. This review provides clear evidence that consumer mHealth interventions are developed inconsistently even when engaging with participatory or user-centered design principles, sometimes without direct involvement of patients themselves. Further, the incomplete description of the development processes presents challenges to furthering the knowledge base as healthcare professionals need timely access to quality information on mHealth products in order to recommend safe, effective consumer mHealth interventions.