Objectives, Outcomes, Facilitators, and Barriers of mHealth Interventions during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

Background: The spread of Covid-19 showed the real ability of current technologies in the world. Mobile health (mHealth) as one of these technologies in the control, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease was very much considered. Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the objectives, outcomes, facilitators, and barriers influencing the use of mHealth interventions for patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. We searched for the original articles published in databases such as PubMed until August 2022 using relevant keywords. Studies to be included will have mHealth as the primary intervention during the Covid-19 pandemic. A qualitative content analysis was performed the based on the theory of planned behavior and the health belief model using the ATLAS.ti software. Results: In total, 1598 articles were screened, and 50 articles were included in this study. The objectives were follow-up and self-monitoring in half of the articles. While having different objectives, 35% of the articles analyzed reported satisfaction. The overall outcomes of mHealth intervention were classified as social outcomes (e.g. facilitating social interaction), clinical outcomes (e.g. decreasing mental health problems), and cost-effectiveness (e.g., reducing commute, fuel, and time to access care). 15 facilitators and 10 barriers influencing the use of mHealth intervention for patients were identified. Conclusion: Developing a clear framework of the facilitators and barriers before the implementation of these systems could improve decision-making prior to the design and implementation of mHealth intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]