Approaches to Assess E-Health Programs: A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Context:With the increasing trend of adopting e-Health technologies, the need for evidence for assessing e-Health technologies has become crucial. The appraisal of the e-Health program is important as this could provide guidance on further e-Health investment and adoption.Aims:The aim of the study was to provide an articulated body of literature on the current state of knowledge about the assessment of e-Health interventions.Settings and Design:Scoping review was conducted based on the framework provided by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and considering enhancements proposed by Peters et al. (2015).Subjects and Methods:We searched the electronic databases and available gray literature from inception until the last week of October 2019. PRISMA flowchart for the study selection process was used to guide reporting. Data extraction included information on study design, authors, year of study, country, and key findings in terms of approaches used for assessment of e-Health programs. Data were compiled and summarized narratively.Results:Searches were performed between October and December 2019. Seventy-one relevant papers published between the years until the last week of October 2019 were reviewed and analyzed. After considering all the eligibility criteria, 15 papers were included. We identified 15 approaches for assessing e-Health programs, which were summarized and tabulated.Conclusions:This review showed that available literature on the assessment of e-Health programs is heterogeneous in terms of the methodology used. e-Health interventions are highly contextual; therefore; the phase of maturity and objective of the assessment should be considered while carrying out the assessment of e-Health programs.