As the prevalence of digital health applications continues to grow, there is a pressing need for standardized evaluations of patient experience (PEx) within the digital health sector. This has been highlighted by the World Health Organization as a significant challenge facing modern health systems. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive evaluation guide for digital PEx to promote the effective integration and utilization of health technologies.
A recent study has sought to identify key considerations for the timing of evaluations (when to measure), the indicators for evaluation (what to measure), and the approaches to evaluation (how to measure) concerning digital PEx. The ultimate goal of the research is to provide a robust evaluation guide to further improve the assessment of digital PEx.
The study was conducted in two phases, paralleling a previous study. The first phase involved systematic literature reviews related to patient experience in digital health, and the second phase involved an updated literature search to ensure the validity of the conclusions. The researchers analyzed a total of 45 articles from the first phase and 102 articles from the second phase.
Strategies for Effective Evaluation of Patient Experience in Digital Interventions
The study identified five distinct evaluation objectives serving different stakeholder groups. Key evaluation timing considerations were classified into three categories: intervention maturity stages, timing of the evaluation, and timing of data collection. Moreover, information on evaluation indicators of digital PEx was summarised into three categories: intervention outputs, patient outcomes, and healthcare system impact. The researchers also identified a set of evaluation theories, common study designs, data collection methods and instruments, and data analysis approaches that can be used or adapted to evaluate digital PEx.
The findings of the study have facilitated the creation of an evaluation guide to assist digital health intervention researchers, designers, developers, and program evaluators in assessing digital PEx. The study also proposed six directions for encouraging further digital PEx evaluation research and practice to address the issue of poor PEx.
Original Article DOI: 10.2196/46308
Original title: Timing, Indicators, and Approaches to Digital Patient Experience Evaluation: Umbrella Systematic Review
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