Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42715160›Full record

ReviewOnline journal of public health informatics2026

eHealth Approaches to Multimorbidity Management: Scoping Review of Interventions and Multidisease Strategies.

Katja Bochtler, Salima Houta

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Online journal of public health informatics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Katja BochtlerFaculty of Computer Science, Kempten University of Applied Sciences, Bahnhofstr. 61, Kempten, Bavaria, 87435, Germany, 49 8312523-641.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-3897-9604
Salima HoutaBavarian Center for Digital Health and Social Care, Kempten, Bavaria, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8452-4263

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Multimorbidity, defined as the coexistence of two or more chronic conditions, challenges traditional, single-disease health care models. Although digital health technologies are increasingly applied to complex patient care, most interventions remain disease-specific and fail to account for interactions between coexisting conditions. Objective: This scoping review aimed to systematically map and synthesize existing evidence on digital health interventions that explicitly address multimorbidity, focusing on how these solutions integrate disease interdependencies between coexisting diseases in their design, implementation, and evaluation. We aimed to identify underlying concepts, map frequently targeted disease clusters, and assess reported outcomes and barriers to real-world application. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) framework and informed by PRISMA-S (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses literature search extension) recommendations, we conducted systematic searches in PubMed and CINAHL for studies published in English or German between January 2014 and May 2024. Eligible studies described digital health interventions targeting patients with two or more conditions and explicitly addressed interactions among diseases, symptoms, or treatments. We strictly excluded studies of digital solutions that addressed multiple conditions through isolated modules or separate functionalities without cross-condition integration. In addition, research focusing solely on technical development, polypharmacy, or usability was excluded. Two reviewers independently screened records and extracted data using a structured charting form. Data were synthesized using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: Of 1660 records identified, 11 studies representing seven distinct digital health projects met the inclusion criteria. Most interventions focused on older adults with cardiometabolic or respiratory multimorbidity and combined mobile apps, telemonitoring platforms, and decision-support or analytic modules. While most interventions demonstrated feasibility and user acceptance, only a minority operationalized disease interactions beyond aggregated data. Approaches to multimorbidity included cross-disease analytics, composite risk indicators, and guideline-based decision support; however, systematic reconciliation of competing clinical recommendations was rare. Evaluation outcomes mainly addressed usability, engagement, and feasibility, whereas evidence regarding clinical effectiveness remained limited and inconsistent. Only two studies assessed clinical outcomes, with mixed findings. Conclusions: This review provides a novel synthesis of how digital health interventions explicitly address multimorbidity as an interconnected phenomenon rather than as a set of isolated conditions. Current evidence suggests feasibility and user acceptance of digital tools, whereas robust implementation of multimorbidity-aware functionalities and evidence regarding benefit remain limited. Advancing this field will require interoperable, data-integrative systems capable of supporting coordinated multimorbidity care across conditions and care settings. These findings highlight the need for a shift from disease-centric toward integrated multimorbidity-oriented digital care models.

Indexed as

digital healthdisease interactionseHealth interventionintegrated caremultidisease approachesmultimorbidityself-management

Identifiers

PMID42715160
PMCPMC13559150

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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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.