Exploring mHealth as a new route to bridging the nursing theory-practice gap

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Health Informatics
• Digital Health

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) represents a significant advancement in healthcare technology.
• There is a clear need for innovative interventions in chronic illness prevention and management.
• mHealth interventions for chronic illness show considerable promise despite being an emerging field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of mHealth as a tool for nursing theory research and development.
• To explore how mHealth can operationalize theoretical concepts for intervention studies.
• To examine the application of nursing theories in mHealth interventions for chronic illness.

Main Methods:

• A literature review was conducted to analyze existing studies on mHealth and chronic illness.
• Thematic evaluation of outcomes from mHealth studies used nursing theories like Meleis's transitions and Mishel's uncertainty in illness.
• Analysis focused on how mHealth facilitates patient interaction and data collection.

Main Results:

• Despite a limited number of studies, strong themes of patient activation and engagement were identified.
• mHealth interventions demonstrated potential in monitoring and managing chronic conditions.
• Nursing theories provide a framework for understanding outcomes in mHealth studies.

Conclusions:

• mHealth offers a novel approach to operationalizing nursing theoretical concepts.
• The integration of nursing theory with mHealth can enhance the testing of theory-based interventions.
• mHealth research, guided by nursing theory, can yield deeper insights into the patient experience of health and illness.