The state-of-the-art of eHealth self-management interventions for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: a scoping review

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: eHealth self-management interventions may help patients with COPD to engage in their self-management. However, little is known about the actual content of these eHealth interventions. Therefore, this review investigates the state-of-the-art of eHealth self-management interventions for COPD. More specifically, we research the functionality and modality, the positive health dimensions addressed, the target population characteristics, and the self-management processes and behavioural change techniques (BCTs). Methods A scoping review was performed to investigate current literature. Parts of the PRISMA-ScR protocol were followed and tailored to this study. The databases: PUBMED, SCOPING, PsychINFO (EBSCO), and Wiley were searched for literature. Results This review found that most eHealth technologies enable patients to (self-)monitor their symptoms by using (smart)measuring devices and/or smartphones/tablets. The self-management process ‘taking ownership of health needs’, the BCT ‘feedback and monitoring’, and the positive health dimension ‘bodily functioning’ were most often addressed. The inclusion criteria of studies in combination with the population reached when carrying out the studies show that a subset of COPD patients participate in such eHealth research. Discussion/Conclusion: The current body of literature related to eHealth interventions addresses mainly the physical aspect of COPD self-management. The necessity to specify inclusion criteria to control variables combined with the practical challenges to recruit diverse participants leads to people with COPD being included in eHealth studies that only represent a subgroup of the whole population. These findings showcase the gaps in current literature. Therefore, future developments should aim to develop eHealth technologies more inclusively and need to address multiple dimensions of the positive health paradigm.