The use of mobile health technology in the management of osteoarthritis: a scoping review with scientometric analysis (Preprint)

Abstract

Globally, hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) are ranked as the eleventh most common cause of disability among adults. Growing evidence suggests that the use of mHealth technology in OA management is effective and reduces the burdens in primary and secondary care. However, a comprehensive state-of-the-art review on the use of mHealth technology in managing OA is lacking.

This review aimed to assess the current state of research on the use of mHealth technology for self-management/education of adults with OA, identify key research activities, and provide future directions on the development/application of mHealth technology.

The Arksey and O’Malley methodological framework was employed, augmented with a scientometric analysis using VOS viewer. Six databases were searched from inception to 31st March 2021. The PRISMA extension for scoping review was used to report the findings.

Our review only identified 19 mHealth programs being used to promote self-management of OA. The current evidence suggested that compared to no or other interventions, mHealth technology was feasible and might be more effective in reducing pain, or promoting physical function and quality of life in individuals with OA. However, not all mHealth programs were developed by healthcare professionals. The scientometric analysis revealed various co-occurring keywords that reflected conceptual properties of this research domain. Although some intellectual connections among groups of authors, research articles, and journals were also noted, only a few researchers and journals were the most impactful contributors in this research domain.

The use of mHealth technology in OA management is potentially promising, however, there is a great need to investigate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of this approach. More collaborations among organizations are warranted to bolster activity in this area. Future mHealth programs should be developed based on a strong theoretical background to support the uptake of their programs.

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