The Impact of Mobile Health Interventions on Service Users' health outcomes and the role of health professions: A systematic review of systematic reviews- Protocol.

Abstract

Background In recent years, mobile health tools have gained prominence in the global medical field. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have demonstrated their impact on the management of healthcare service users' health. A pilot search revealed many systematic reviews on the effectiveness of mobile health tools on service users' health outcomes, but it was unclear how the role of healthcare professionals in promoting the adoption of mobile health may lead to improved outcomes. Therefore, this systematic review aims to synthesise existing systematic reviews that examine both the impact of mobile health interventions on service users' outcomes and the role of healthcare professionals in facilitating the adoption of mobile health solutions. Methods Five electronic databases will be searched: EMBASE, CINHAL Plus, Medline, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for systematic reviews exploring the impact of mobile health interventions on service users' outcomes and the role of healthcare professionals in facilitating the adoption of mobile health solutions. Systematic reviews published in English dated from 2015–2023 will be included. Screening and selection of the reviews against inclusion and exclusion criteria will be performed by three independent reviewers, as well as data extraction and quality assessment. Discussion Current systematic reviews in the field of mHealth have primarily focused on assessing the effectiveness of mHealth interventions for managing a range of conditions. While these reviews provide valuable input into the outcomes for mHealth, little is known about the impact of the involvement of health professions on service users’ outcomes when adopting mHealth. This systematic review of systematic reviews aims to bridge this critical gap in the literature by critically appraising and synthesising the evidence of mHealth interventions' impact on service user outcomes and the level of involvement of health professionals. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD 42023414435.