The gaps and challenges in digital health technology use as perceived by patients: a scoping review and narrative meta-synthesis

Abstract

Introduction: Digital health has revolutionized the landscape of healthcare through personalized care, moving away from the traditional approach of treating symptoms and conditions. Digital devices provide diagnostic accuracy and treatment effectiveness while equipping patients with control over their health and well-being. Although the growth of technology provides unprecedented opportunities, there are also certain issues arising from the use of such technology. This scoping review aimed to explore perceived gaps and challenges in the use of digital technology by patients and meta-synthesize them. Identifying such gaps and challenges will encourage new insights and understanding, leading to evidence-informed policies and practices. Methods: Three electronic databases were searched (Cinahl EBSCO, Pubmed, and Web of Science) for papers published in English between January 2010 and December 2023. A narrative meta-synthesis was performed. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2009 checklist. Results: A total of 345 papers were retrieved and screened, with a noticeable increase in publication numbers after 2015. After the final selection, a total of 28 papers were included in the final meta-synthesis; these were published between 2015 and 2023. A total of 99 individual reports were included in the synthesis of these papers, comprising 25 identified gaps and 74 challenges. Discussion: Our meta-synthesis revealed several gaps and challenges related to patients' use of digital technology in health, including generational differences in digital propensity and deficiencies in the work process. In terms of ethics, the lack of trust in technology and data ownership was highlighted, with the meta-synthesis identifying issues in the realm of disruption of human rights. We, therefore, propose building a model for ethically aligned technology development and acceptance that considers human rights a crucial parameter in the digital healthcare ecosystem.

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