Self-Management Using eHealth Technologies for Liver Transplant Recipients: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Transplantation Science
• Digital Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Liver transplantation is a common treatment for end-stage liver disease and cancer, with improving outcomes.
• Recipients require lifelong self-management, including medication adherence and lifestyle adjustments.
• eHealth technologies offer potential for optimizing self-management but face slow adoption due to post-transplant complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the use of eHealth technologies in supporting self-management for liver transplant recipients.
• To identify the benefits and challenges of these technologies.
• To suggest future research directions in this area.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley methodology.
• Searches were performed across five major electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science).
• Studies involving adult liver transplant recipients and eHealth-based self-management were included, with quality assessed using TIDieR and Lorig & Holman's core skills.

Main Results:

• Fifteen studies were included, focusing on lifestyle management, medication adherence, and remote monitoring.
• A significant gap exists in eHealth interventions for alcohol relapse prevention.
• Technologies like mobile apps and telehealth were used, but with limited integration of decision-making and collaborative features.

Conclusions:

• eHealth interventions show potential for personalized care in liver transplant recipients.
• Future research should prioritize predictive models, patient-generated data, and digital human-to-human interactions.
• Addressing the digital divide and ensuring inclusivity across diverse populations are crucial for future eHealth self-management research.