Assessing the Quality and Impact of eHealth Tools
Systematic Literature Review and Narrative Synthesis
The results of the systematic review have now been published, laying the groundwork for the validation of the aggregated assessment criteria with practice partners in a diversified eHealth expert panel in a modified Delphi process.
The review aimed to systematically investigate the literature to understand the different approaches and criteria used to assess the quality and impact of eHealth tools by considering sociotechnical factors (from technical, social, and organizational perspectives).
Based on a review of 40 studies using thematic analysis and narrative synthesis of emergent themes, similar measures from the different papers, frameworks, and initiatives were aggregated into 36 unique criteria grouped into 13 clusters. Using the sociotechnical approach, we classified the relevant criteria into technical, social, and organizational assessment criteria. Technical assessment criteria were grouped into 5 clusters: technical aspects, functionality, content, data management, and design. Social assessment criteria were grouped into 4 clusters: human centricity, health outcomes, visible popularity metrics, and social aspects. Organizational assessment criteria were grouped into 4 clusters: sustainability and scalability, health care organization, health care context, and developer.
Jacob et al. (2023): Assessing the Quality and Impact of eHealth Tools: Systematic Literature Review and Narrative Synthesis. JMIR Hum Factors. doi: 10.2196/45143. PMID: 36843321. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36843321/
This review builds on the growing body of research that investigates the criteria used to assess the quality and impact of eHealth tools and highlights the complexity and challenges facing these initiatives. It demonstrates that there is no single framework that is used uniformly to assess the quality and impact of eHealth tools. It also highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach that balances the social, organizational, and technical assessment criteria in a way that reflects the complexity and interdependence of the health care ecosystem and is aligned with the factors affecting users’ adoption to ensure uptake and adherence in the long term.