Abstract
Background: Advancements in mobile health (mHealth) technologies have reshaped the delivery of healthcare, offering new possibilities for improving the quality of care, particularly for older adults receiving care at home. While the potential benefits of mHealth are considerable, integrating technology into home care for older adults raises several ethical concerns.
Purpose: To explore and map the ethical issues associated with using mHealth technologies in the home care of older adults.
Inclusion criteria: Studies that focus on mHealth technologies used in home care for older adults (aged 65+); Studies that explicitly discuss ethical issues; Original studies incorporating quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods; Literature published in English.
Methods: This scoping review followed the Arksey-O’Malley framework. From inception to June 15, 2024, we searched four databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was used to ensure rigorous and transparent reporting.
Results: Of the 793 records analyzed, nine were included in this review. These studies raised four ethical considerations: privacy, autonomy, equal access, and reduced interpersonal contact. mHealth technologies often involve the collection, storage, and sharing of sensitive personal health data, which poses significant risks to older adults' privacy. Further, older adults have increased reliance on these technologies and reduced decision-making freedom. Moreover, older adults in rural or low-income settings are affected by a 'digital divide' that limits their ability to benefit from mHealth innovations. Lastly, mHealth technologies may deprive older adults of opportunities for therapeutic interactions with their formal caregivers or clinicians, making them dependent on virtual visits or remote monitoring.
Conclusion: This scoping review demonstrates the ethical dilemmas that arise when older adults use mHealth technologies in home care. Future work should focus on developing ethical guidelines and frameworks to guide the safe and equitable use of mHealth technologies by older adults, ensuring that these innovations improve rather than degrade their quality of care.
Notes
References:
Zakerabasali, S., Ayyoubzadeh, S.M., Baniasadi, T., Yazdani, A., & Abhari, S. (2021). Mobile Health Technology and Healthcare Providers: Systemic Barriers to Adoption. Healthcare Informatics Research. 27(4), 267-278. https://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2021.27.4.267
Jat, A. S., & Grønli, T. M. (2023). Harnessing the Digital Revolution: A Comprehensive Review of mHealth Applications for RemoteMonitoring in Transforming Healthcare Delivery. In Younas, M., Awan, I., Grønli, T. M., (Eds.), International Conference on Mobile Web and Intelligent Information Systems, (pp. 55-67). Springer Nature. htttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39764-6_4
Wang, Y., Sun, H., Xu, S., Xia, Q., Ge, S., Li, M., & Tang, X. Smart Home Technologies for Enhancing Independence of Living and Reducing Care Dependence in Older Adults: A Systematic Review. Journal of Advanced Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16569
Jacobson, N. C,. Bentley, K. H., Walton, A., Wang, S. B., Fortgang, R. G., Millner, A. J., Coombs, G. 3rd., Rodman, A. M., & Coppersmith, D. D. L. (2020). Ethical dilemmas posed by mobile health and machine learning in psychiatry research. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 98(4), 270-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.237107
Pirzada, P., Wilde, A., Doherty, G.H., & Harris-Birtill, D. (2022). Ethics and acceptance of smart homes for older adults. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 47(1),10-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538157.2021.1923500
Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology: Theory and Practice, 8(1), 19-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616
Sigma Membership
Beta Zeta at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Ethics, Mobile Health, mHealth, Home Health Care, Older Adults, Aged
Recommended Citation
Shen, Miaomiao, "Scoping Review: Ethical Issues Involved in Using Mhealth Technologies in Home Care for Older Adults" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 249.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/presentations_2025/249
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Scoping Review: Ethical Issues Involved in Using Mhealth Technologies in Home Care for Older Adults
Seattle, Washington, USA
Background: Advancements in mobile health (mHealth) technologies have reshaped the delivery of healthcare, offering new possibilities for improving the quality of care, particularly for older adults receiving care at home. While the potential benefits of mHealth are considerable, integrating technology into home care for older adults raises several ethical concerns.
Purpose: To explore and map the ethical issues associated with using mHealth technologies in the home care of older adults.
Inclusion criteria: Studies that focus on mHealth technologies used in home care for older adults (aged 65+); Studies that explicitly discuss ethical issues; Original studies incorporating quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods; Literature published in English.
Methods: This scoping review followed the Arksey-O’Malley framework. From inception to June 15, 2024, we searched four databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was used to ensure rigorous and transparent reporting.
Results: Of the 793 records analyzed, nine were included in this review. These studies raised four ethical considerations: privacy, autonomy, equal access, and reduced interpersonal contact. mHealth technologies often involve the collection, storage, and sharing of sensitive personal health data, which poses significant risks to older adults' privacy. Further, older adults have increased reliance on these technologies and reduced decision-making freedom. Moreover, older adults in rural or low-income settings are affected by a 'digital divide' that limits their ability to benefit from mHealth innovations. Lastly, mHealth technologies may deprive older adults of opportunities for therapeutic interactions with their formal caregivers or clinicians, making them dependent on virtual visits or remote monitoring.
Conclusion: This scoping review demonstrates the ethical dilemmas that arise when older adults use mHealth technologies in home care. Future work should focus on developing ethical guidelines and frameworks to guide the safe and equitable use of mHealth technologies by older adults, ensuring that these innovations improve rather than degrade their quality of care.
Description
This scoping review identifies four ethical issues when using mHealth technologies in home care for older adults: privacy, autonomy, equal access, and reduced interpersonal contact. Further research is needed on how mHealth technologies can support older adults while protecting their ethical rights. Guidelines that balance the benefits of technology with ethical issues need to be developed to ensure that care remains patient-centered and respects the personal and social needs of older adults.