Abstract
(1) Background: eHealth interventions play a growing role in shaping the future healthcare system. The integration of eHealth interventions can enhance the efficiency and quality of patient management and optimize the course of treatment for chronically ill patients. In this integrative review, we discuss different types of interventions, standards and advantages of quality eHealth approaches especially for people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). (2) Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane and Web of Science were searched to identify potential articles for eHealth interventions in pwMS; based on 62 articles, we consider different ways of implementing health information technology with various designs. (3) Results: There already exist some eHealth interventions for single users with a single-use case, interventions with a social setting, as well as eHealth interventions that integrate various single and social interventions and even those that may be used additionally for complex use cases. A key determinant of consumer acceptance is a high-quality user-centric design for healthcare practitioners and pwMS. In pwMS, the different neurological disabilities should be considered, and particular attention must be paid to the course of the treatment and the safety processes of each treatment option. (4) Conclusion: Depending on the field of application and the respective users, interventions are designed for single, social, integrated or complex use. In order to be accepted by their target group, interventions must be beneficial and easy to use.
Highlights
In a society of growing digital proficiency, 80 percent of all Internet users go online to seek health information [1]
Several approaches exist to defining constructs such as eHealth, telehealth and other health information technology (HIT) terms [5], but we want to provide a common ground for our review: eHealth is defined as “an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business” using information and communication technologies [3]
As a taxonomy for eHealth interventions, we consider different ways to implement HIT, for instance, by phone, telehealth, web-based, via remote sensoring or virtual technologies [7,24,25], which are designed as an intervention with a single-use case, interventions with a social setting, as well as an eHealth intervention that integrate various single and social interventions and even those that may be used for complex use cases
Summary
In a society of growing digital proficiency, 80 percent of all Internet users go online to seek health information [1]. Several approaches exist to defining constructs such as eHealth, telehealth and other HIT terms [5], but we want to provide a common ground for our review: eHealth is defined as “an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business” using information and communication technologies [3]. People with MS (pwMS) show their first symptoms at the age of 20 to 40 years; they live with this chronic disease for the following decades, which is why these patients may be important early adopters of emerging eHealth trends [17] Their physical and cognitive impairments complicate traditional face-to-face interventions for pwMS. Key factors for a successful development of good patient management are discussed
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