Examining Practices Related to Ethical Aspects in eHealth Evaluation Research: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Medical Ethics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• eHealth technologies, including remote patient monitoring (RPM), offer potential benefits for cancer and cardiovascular disease management.
• Ethical aspects in eHealth evaluation research are often inadequately addressed, impacting decision-making.
• Understanding how ethics are integrated is crucial for developing effective recommendations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze the ethical considerations within original evaluation studies of RPM applications for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
• To identify gaps and opportunities for enhancing the integration of ethical aspects in eHealth evaluation research.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, etc.) using keywords related to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, eHealth, telemonitoring, and evaluation designs.
• Inductive-deductive qualitative content analysis of extracted data focusing on ethical aspects and methodological approaches.

Main Results:

• Initial search yielded 3321 articles published between 2014 and August 2024.
• Screening and analysis are scheduled for completion in Q1 2025.
• Results are anticipated by summer 2025.

Conclusions:

• Inadequate attention to ethical aspects in eHealth evaluation studies can negatively affect clinical practices.
• This review will map current ethical considerations in RPM research for specific diseases.
• Findings will inform future guidance for a more comprehensive integration of ethics in eHealth evaluations.