Internet self-management uniform reporting framework: the need for uniform reporting criteria when reporting internet...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Gerontology
• Chronic Disease Management

Background:

• Internet interventions show promise for older adults' chronic disease self-management.
• Identifying key components of successful online programs remains difficult due to diverse reporting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify essential components (
• active ingredients
• ) of successful Internet interventions for older adults with chronic diseases.
• To propose a standardized reporting framework to facilitate comparison of these interventions.

Main Methods:

• A literature review identified 13 relevant articles from 204 initial studies.
• Ritterband's Model of Internet Interventions was used to classify intervention components.

Main Results:

• Significant diversity in intervention design and outcome measures hindered identification of specific "active ingredients" for successful online self-management.
• Online interventions can benefit some older adults, but effectiveness varies.

Conclusions:

• A standardized reporting method is needed to compare Internet interventions for chronic disease self-management in older adults.
• The proposed Internet Self-Management Uniform Reporting Framework (ISURf) includes six key domains: website design, support, study design, website use, user characteristics, and outcome reporting.