Maaß Laura, Angoumis Konstantinos, Freye Merle, Pan Chen-Chia
University of Bremen, SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy, Bremen, Germany.
Leibniz ScienceCampus Digital Public Health Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
J Med Internet Res. 2024 Jul 17;26:e53927. doi: 10.2196/53927.
The rapid progression and integration of digital technologies into public health have reshaped the global landscape of health care delivery and disease prevention. In pursuit of better population health and health care accessibility, many countries have integrated digital interventions into their health care systems, such as web-based consultations, electronic health records, and telemedicine. Despite the increasing prevalence and relevance of digital technologies in public health and their varying definitions, there has been a shortage of studies examining whether these technologies align with the established definition and core characteristics of digital public health (DiPH) interventions. Hence, the imperative need for a scoping review emerges to explore the breadth of literature dedicated to this subject.
This scoping review aims to outline DiPH interventions from different implementation stages for health promotion, primary to tertiary prevention, including health care and disease surveillance and monitoring. In addition, we aim to map the reported intervention characteristics, including their technical features and nontechnical elements.
Original studies or reports of DiPH intervention focused on population health were eligible for this review. PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, IEEE Xplore, and the ACM Full-Text Collection were searched for relevant literature (last updated on October 5, 2022). Intervention characteristics of each identified DiPH intervention, such as target groups, level of prevention or health care, digital health functions, intervention types, and public health functions, were extracted and used to map DiPH interventions. MAXQDA 2022.7 (VERBI GmbH) was used for qualitative data analysis of such interventions' technical functions and nontechnical characteristics.
In total, we identified and screened 15,701 records, of which 1562 (9.94%) full texts were considered relevant and were assessed for eligibility. Finally, we included 185 (11.84%) publications, which reported 179 different DiPH interventions. Our analysis revealed a diverse landscape of interventions, with telemedical services, health apps, and electronic health records as dominant types. These interventions targeted a wide range of populations and settings, demonstrating their adaptability. The analysis highlighted the multifaceted nature of digital interventions, necessitating precise definitions and standardized terminologies for effective collaboration and evaluation.
Although this scoping review was able to map characteristics and technical functions among 13 intervention types in DiPH, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence might have been underrepresented in our study. This review underscores the diversity of DiPH interventions among and within intervention groups. Moreover, it highlights the importance of precise terminology for effective planning and evaluation. This review promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration by emphasizing the need for clear definitions, distinct technological functions, and well-defined use cases. It lays the foundation for international benchmarks and comparability within DiPH systems. Further research is needed to map intervention characteristics in this still-evolving field continuously.
PROSPERO CRD42021265562; https://tinyurl.com/43jksb3k.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/33404.
数字技术迅速发展并融入公共卫生领域，重塑了全球医疗服务和疾病预防格局。为追求更好的人群健康和医疗可及性，许多国家已将数字干预措施纳入其医疗体系，如基于网络的咨询、电子健康记录和远程医疗。尽管数字技术在公共卫生领域的应用日益普遍且重要，其定义也各不相同，但缺乏研究探讨这些技术是否符合数字公共卫生（DiPH）干预措施的既定定义和核心特征。因此，迫切需要进行一项范围综述，以探索关于该主题的文献广度。
本范围综述旨在概述不同实施阶段用于健康促进、一级至三级预防（包括医疗保健以及疾病监测与监控）的DiPH干预措施。此外，我们旨在梳理已报道的干预特征，包括其技术特性和非技术要素。
聚焦人群健康的DiPH干预措施的原始研究或报告符合本综述要求。我们在PubMed、科学网、CENTRAL、IEEE Xplore和美国计算机协会全文数据库中检索相关文献（最后更新于2022年10月5日）。提取每项已识别的DiPH干预措施的干预特征，如目标群体、预防或医疗保健级别、数字健康功能、干预类型和公共卫生功能，并用于梳理DiPH干预措施。使用MAXQDA 2022.7（VERBI GmbH）对这些干预措施的技术功能和非技术特征进行定性数据分析。
我们总共识别并筛选了15701条记录，其中1562条（9.94%）全文被认为相关并进行了资格评估。最后，我们纳入了185篇（11.84%）出版物，这些出版物报告了179种不同的DiPH干预措施。我们的分析揭示了干预措施的多样格局，远程医疗服务、健康应用程序和电子健康记录是主要类型。这些干预措施针对广泛的人群和环境，显示出其适应性。分析突出了数字干预措施的多面性，需要精确的定义和标准化术语以实现有效协作和评估。
尽管本范围综述能够梳理DiPH中13种干预类型的特征和技术功能，但人工智能等新兴技术在我们的研究中可能未得到充分体现。本综述强调了DiPH干预措施在干预组之间和组内的多样性。此外，它突出了精确术语对于有效规划和评估的重要性。本综述通过强调明确的定义、独特的技术功能和明确的用例的必要性，促进了跨学科合作。它为DiPH系统内的国际基准和可比性奠定了基础。在这个仍在不断发展的领域，需要进一步研究以持续梳理干预特征。
PROSPERO CRD42021265562；https://tinyurl.com/43jksb3k。
国际注册报告识别号（IRRID）：RR2-10.2196/33404。
