An evidence gap map of digital health interventions for enhancing patient engagement in healthcare

Digital health interventions (DHIs) are increasingly used to strengthen patient engagement. However, despite its rapid growth, DHIs remain unevenly evaluated and poorly standardized. Six databases were searched to generate an evidence gap map of interventions and research gaps for DHIs targeting patient engagement. A total of 160 systematic reviews (including 42 meta-analyses) comprising 3974 primary studies were mapped with most (92%) conducted in high-income countries. Evidence was concentrated around mHealth, eHealth, telehealth, and messaging technologies. Commonly reported outcomes included medication adherence, quality of life, implementation outcomes, and self-management. Overall, 61% of reviews reported positive conclusions, although most were rated as low or critically low methodological quality. Priority areas include strengthening evidence from LMICs, evaluating long-term and emerging DHIs (e.g., wearables and gamified platforms), and improving methodological rigor for systematic reviews. The findings highlight disparities in the global DHI evidence base and identify priority gaps for future research and implementation.