mHealth Technologies for the Care of Children With Congenital Heart Disease: Scoping Review

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Not reported

• Effect Size: Not calculable; no pooled quantitative synthesis performed. Narrative findings suggest positive effects on exercise capacity, nutritional status, psychological well-being, and quality of life

• Primary Outcome: Narrative mapping of mHealth intervention types and their reported effects in paediatric CHD; primary forms identified as mobile apps, wearable devices, and remote monitoring equipment

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: Not applicable; no NNT, sensitivity, specificity, or hazard ratio calculable from this scoping review. Clinical magnitude of reported improvements is undetermined

• Confidence Interval: Not reported; scoping review design precludes confidence interval estimation

Clinical Application

mHealth modalities described (apps, wearables, remote monitoring) are broadly feasible in high-income healthcare settings with adequate digital infrastructure. Feasibility in low-resource or rural settings — where CHD burden may be disproportionately high — is not addressed. Digital literacy of caregivers, device cost, and data connectivity remain practical barriers In Australia, paediatric CHD care is centralised at tertiary children's hospitals (e.g., Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Sydney Children's Hospital, Queensland Children's Hospital). The RACGP and Australian College of Nursing do not currently have specific mHealth guidelines for paediatric CHD. The Australian Digital Health Agency's national digital health strategy supports telehealth and remote monitoring expansion, which aligns with the review's findings. Wearable cardiac monitors may attract Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) rebates under specific item numbers for cardiac monitoring, but paediatric-specific mHealth apps are not currently PBS-listed or TGA-regulated as therapeutic goods unless they meet the definition of a Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) under TGA guidance. Clinicians should be aware of TGA's Digital Health Software Guidance when recommending mHealth tools to families. The tyranny of distance in rural and remote Australia makes mHealth particularly relevant for CHD follow-up, though equity of access to smartphones and broadband remains a concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Children with congenital heart disease of any severity, including those post-surgical repair and those with complex CHD requiring ongoing surveillance. Caregivers and parents are also a relevant target population for mHealth-delivered education and support

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mobile information technology (IT) is increasingly being used in the health care sector, and it can play a critical role in both the care of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and the quality of life of their families. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to conduct a scoping review of the application of mobile health (mHealth) technologies in the care of children with CHD. We summarized the forms of mHealth interventions and effects on CHD to provide a reference for future research in this field. METHODS: We searched PubMed; Embase; Web of Science; the Cochrane Library; CINAHL; China National Knowledge Infrastructure; Wanfang Data; the Chinese Biomedical Database; VIP Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database; National Guideline Clearinghouse of the United States; the website of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Canada; the Guidelines International Network; the American Heart Association; and the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. The search period was from the establishment of the databases to June 12, 2025. The retrieved literature was screened and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 519 Chinese- and English-language articles were identified, with 44 (8.5%) studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The primary forms of mHealth interventions for patients with CHD included mobile apps, wearable devices, and remote monitoring equipment. The findings indicated that mHealth technologies could improve exercise capacity, nutritional status, psychological well-being, and quality of life in children with CHD. CONCLUSIONS: The application of mHealth in the care of children with CHD is feasible and demonstrates positive effects. Future research should emphasize peer education and patient privacy protection while further exploring remote education and health management based on theoretical frameworks and intelligent ITs to enhance quality of life for both children with CHD and their parents.

References

1. 1.Wang, M., Pan, Q., Tan, S., Kong, Y., Dai, Z., Cai, J., Bi, D., & Zhou, J. (2026). mHealth technologies for the care of children with congenital heart disease: Scoping review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. https://doi.org/10.2196/83385