A systematic review of mobile health technologies to support self-management of concurrent diabetes and hypertension

Objective: This article reports results from a systematic literature review of the current state of mobile health (mHealth) technologies that have the potential to support self-management for people with diabetes and hypertension. The review aims to (a) characterize mHealth technologies used or described in the mHealth literature and (b) summarize their effects on self-management for people with diabetes and hypertension from the clinical and technical standpoints. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Online databases were searched in September 2018 to identify eligible studies for review that had been published since 2007, the start of the smartphone era. Data were extracted from included studies based on the PICOS framework. Results: Of the 11 studies included for in-depth review, 5 were clinical research examining patient health outcomes and 6 were technology-focused studies examining users' experiences with mHealth technologies under development. The most frequently used mHealth technology features involved self-management support (n=11) followed by decision support (n=6) and shared decision-making (n=6). Most clinical studies reported benefits associated with mHealth interventions. These included reported improvements in objectively measured patient health outcomes (n=3) and perceptual or behavioral outcomes (n=4). Discussion: Although most studies reported promising results in terms of the effects of mHealth interventions on patient health outcomes and experience, the strength of evidence was limited by the study designs. Conclusion: More randomized clinical trials are needed to examine the promise and limitations of mHealth technologies as assistive tools to facilitate the self-management of highly prevalent comorbidity of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension.