Research Participants’ Engagement and Retention in Digital Health Interventions Research: Protocol for a mixed-methods systematic review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Digital health interventions have become increasingly popular in recent years, expanding the possibilities for treatment for various patient groups. In clinical research, the development of the intervention continues, but there are still obstacles to overcome regarding participant engagement and retention. This may be partially due to the digital health platforms used, which may lack adequacy for participants. OBJECTIVE This systematic literature review aims to investigate the relationship between digital health platforms and participant engagement and retention in clinical research. It aims to map and analyse key concepts and definitions of engagement and retention, as well as identify design characteristics that influence them. METHODS The proposed review will be a mixed-method systematic literature review, analysing qualitative and quantitative studies. The search strategy includes the electronic databases PubMed, IEEE Xplore, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, APA PsycINFO, and the ACM Digital Library. The review will encompass studies published between January 2018 and June 2024. Criteria for inclusion will be digital healthcare interventions conducted via digital health platforms like websites and web and mobile applications utilised by patients and informal caregivers as research participants. The main outcome will be a narrative analysis with key findings regarding terminologies and descriptions, and critical factors, concepts and definitions concerning research participants’ engagement and retention. Quality assessment and appraisal will be done via the mixed-methods assessment tool. Data analysis and synthesis will follow the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram. Quantitative data will be qualitized and integrated into qualitative data, which will be analysed using thematic analyses and syntheses. RESULTS The study expects to map and summarise critical concepts, definitions of participant engagement and retention, and the characteristics of digital health platforms that influence them. The systematic review is expected to be completed in June 2025. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review aims to contribute to the growing digital clinical research and patient-centred design fields, providing a comprehensive reference for developing more engaging and effective digital platforms and software for clinical research. CLINICALTRIAL CRD42024561650; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=561650