About this Research Topic

Background

Reducing premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases, facilitating access to quality essential healthcare services, and reinforcing the capacity for risk reduction are key priorities worldwide. However, the healthcare systems face unprecedented financial constraints at a time of rising demand for their services. Technology can help people use care services less by supporting healthier lives.

Rapid advances in mobile communications and wearable sensor technologies could bridge the gap between home- and center-based care delivery models by combining availability, accessibility, and responsive, individualized clinical oversight. Digital health solutions can help democratize access to medical expertise.

Despite the fact mHealth tools seem to be widely recognized as a promising solution capable of transforming healthcare, further research is still needed to increase knowledge about their benefits and limitations for patient empowerment and chronic disease management.

Successful management of chronic diseases often requires that patients be motivated to make significant behavior changes in order to improve health outcomes, quality of life and well-being. Mobile technologies may be crucial to achieve these aims, however data about which mobile features are more engaging over time, which can contribute to behavior change and increase treatment adherence are still scarce. The heterogeneity of features in these apps points to the need to identify which can contribute to disease self-management.

The major aim of the present Research Topic is to collect new evidence, clinical experiences, reviews and opinion articles about the current practice for patient empowerment and chronic disease management using mobile technology.

Submissions are welcome for the following article types: original research, systematic reviews, clinical trial, case report, Community Case Study, Brief Research Report and study protocol.

We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
• Effectiveness of mHealth or eHealth on patient empowerment and self-management
• Diagnosis, monitoring and treatment via digital applications
• Social media for patient/caregiver empowerment or health promotion
• Serious games to promote behaviour changes
• Case reports on feasibility or user acceptability of mobile interventions
• Digital health tools for provider-patient (or family) interaction
• Development and evaluation of medical devices

Keywords: medical devices, eHealth, mHealth, empowerment, chronic disease, self-management, non-communicable diseases, digital health technology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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