Opportunities for Smartphone Sensing in E-Health Research: A Narrative Review

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Mobile Health (mHealth)
• Biomedical Informatics

Background:

• Smartphones possess advanced sensing capabilities, collecting contextual data like location, device usage, and human activity.
• Widespread user adoption and remote data collection make smartphone sensing attractive for health research.
• Previous studies show promise in using smartphone sensing for monitoring various health conditions, particularly mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a narrative review of smartphone sensing literature from the past 5 years.
• To identify opportunities and challenges of using smartphone sensing in healthcare.
• To guide future researchers in leveraging smartphone sensing for health studies.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of peer-reviewed literature published in the last 5 years.
• Analysis of studies focusing on smartphone sensing for health conditions.
• Categorization of data types, tools, and encountered challenges.

Main Results:

• Mental health studies predominate the research landscape.
• Opportunities exist in standardized sensing approaches and machine learning advancements.
• Trends in smartphone sensing for healthcare applications were identified.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone sensing presents significant opportunities for healthcare research, particularly in mental health.
• Understanding the capabilities and limitations is crucial for advancing predictive health capabilities.
• This review serves as a guide for researchers exploring mobile sensing in health.