Using Health Information Systems to Support Behavioral Interventions in Local Contexts: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Public Health and Health Informatics
• Behavioral Science and Health Services Research

Background:

• Individual-level behavioral interventions aim to improve health and manage noncommunicable diseases.
• Neighborhood geo-referenced contexts (NGRCs) significantly influence intervention success.
• Integrating NGRC data into health information systems (HISs) can personalize interventions and improve outcomes, yet literature is sparse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of NGRC-focused behavioral interventions utilizing HISs.
• To examine the current status and stakeholder insights regarding these interventions.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus.
• Publications reporting on NGRC-focused behavioral interventions using HISs were included.
• Data extraction covered study characteristics, HISs, NGRCs, interventions, outcomes, and recommendations.

Main Results:

• Twenty-four studies were included, predominantly using EHRs/EMRs (20 studies) with limited PHR use.
• HISs were largely absent from the full intervention process (23 studies).
• Interventions focused on social needs (21 studies) over lifestyle changes; NGRCs primarily addressed built environments (24 studies) with limited detail on spatiotemporal characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Personal health records (PHRs) show potential for integrating diverse NGRCs and supporting the entire intervention process, especially for lifestyle changes.
• Healthcare providers can facilitate these interventions to advance public health goals and health equity.
• Further research and development are needed to fully leverage NGRCs within HISs for behavioral interventions.