ReviewBundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz2021
[Adherence to digital health interventions: definitions, methods, and open questions].
Review in Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review exploring human, AI, and hybrid health coaching in digital health interventions: trends, engagement, and lifestyle outcomes.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Pooled it
- Factors Influencing Adherence to mHealth Apps for Prevention or Management of Noncommunicable Diseases: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Engagement and predictors of use of a smartphone app for migraine self-management: A secondary analysis of the EMMA trial.Headache · 2026Trial
- The Effectiveness of a Four-Week Digital Physiotherapy Intervention to Improve Functional Capacity and Adherence to Intervention in Patients with Long COVID-19.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Factors Influencing Adherence to Digital Lifestyle Interventions for Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Attrition.Interactive journal of medical research · 2026Review
- Parental needs and experiences with e-Health applications in chronic pediatric care - a scoping review.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- The impact of psychological user characteristics on adherence to an mHealth intervention among women in their postpartum period.Internet interventions · 2026Article
- Support Strategies to Enhance Adherence to a Prescription Digital Therapeutic for Erectile Dysfunction: Retrospective Quasi-Experimental Cohort Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement of Adherence to Patient-Facing Digital Health Applications: Protocol for a Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Smartphone-Based Grading and Rehabilitation in Patients With Facial Palsy Using Computer Vision: Prospective Validation Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2026Article
- Evaluating usability, adherence and clinical benefit of a new digital heath application in rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot feasibility study.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Digital Health Technologies in the Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Healthcare effects and evidence robustness of reimbursable digital health applications in Germany: a systematic review.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- E-Mental Health Interventions in Inpatient Care: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- User Experience of and Adherence to a Smartphone App to Maintain Behavior Change and Self-Management in Patients With Work-Related Skin Diseases: Multistep, Single-Arm Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- A User-Centered Design Approach for a Screening App for People With Cognitive Impairment (digiDEM-SCREEN): Development and Usability Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Health Literacy Promotion and Digital Interventions for Depressive Disorders.Health literacy research and practice · 2024Article
- A systematic review and meta analysis on digital mental health interventions in inpatient settings.NPJ digital medicine · 2024Article
- [Digital Healthcare: Requirements for a Successful Transformation].Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) · 2024Article
- Digital psychosocial interventions for individuals with spinal cord injury: a scoping review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many digital interventions rely on the participation of their users to have a positive impact. In various areas it can be observed that the use of digital interventions is often reduced or fully discontinued by the users after a short period of time. This is seen as one of the main factors that can limit the effectiveness of digital interventions. In this context, the concept of adherence to digital interventions is becoming increasingly important. Adherence to digital interventions is roughly defined as "the degree to which the user followed the program as it was designed," which can also be paraphrased as "intended use" or "use as it is designed." However, both the theoretical-conceptual and practical discussions regarding adherence to digital interventions still receive too little attention.The aim of this narrative review article is to shed more light on the concept of adherence to digital interventions and to distinguish it from related concepts. It also discusses the methods and metrics that can be used to operationalize adherence and the predictors that positively influence adherence. Finally, needs for action to better address adherence are considered critically.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.