BACKGROUND
eHealth technologies for remote patient monitoring (RPM) hold promise for improving cancer and cardiovascular care. However, they also raise ethical aspects that require careful consideration. Current efforts to address these aspects in primary eHealth research are insufficient. Therefore, a better understanding of how ethical aspects are currently addressed, both in terms of content and methodology, is needed to enhance respective practices.
OBJECTIVE
This scoping review will aim to systematically examine practices in eHealth research concerning ethical aspects. Specifically, it will focus on practices in primary research, evaluating the use of RPM applications in treating cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
METHODS
This review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology and PRISMA ScR guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy will use keywords related to “cancer OR cardiovascular disease” and “eHealth OR remote patient monitoring.” Databases will be searched including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, SocINDEX, Philosophers Index and PsychINFO. Data extraction will follow a mixed deductive-inductive approach, aiming to capture ethical aspects, methodological approaches and potential areas for improvement. Data will be analyzed using basic qualitative content analysis.
RESULTS
The initial search on MEDLINE yielded a total of 10,407 results. The final results of this research are expected to be presented in winter 2024/2025.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this scoping review will inform recommendations for improving practices regarding the consideration of ethical aspects in primary eHealth evaluation research.
CLINICALTRIAL
This protocol is registered on the Open Science Framework website (registration link: https://osf.io/7xafv/).