An Umbrella Review of Healthcare Practitioners’ mHealth App Adoption: Barriers, Facilitators and Implementation Reporting Gaps

Abstract

Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) are an accessible, scalable solution to the increased demand for health services. The adoption of mHealth apps by healthcare practitioners can enhance healthcare services and improve patient outcomes; however, significant adoption challenges remain. The primary objectives of this Umbrella review are: (1) synthesise reported barriers and facilitators influencing healthcare practitioners’ adoption of mHealth apps, (2) synthesise implementation strategies employed to address mHealth app adoption by healthcare practitioners, and (3) examine the implementation theories, models and frameworks applied in current mHealth app research. Inclusion was limited to English-language systematic reviews published between 2009 and 2025, aligning with the rise of mHealth apps. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and full texts, and extracted data. Of the 645 papers identified across four databases, 12 were eligible for inclusion. Most studies focused on barriers and facilitators to implementation, but implementation theories, models, and frameworks were reported inconsistently. One review reported a single study implementation outcome (Acceptability), and, significantly, none of the included systematic reviews reported implementation strategies linked to the identified barriers and facilitators. This umbrella review underscores significant deficiencies in implementation reporting related to healthcare practitioners’ adoption of mHealth applications. Findings highlight the importance of selecting implementation theories, models, and frameworks that adequately account for technological factors. Future implementation research should adhere to reporting guidelines such as StaRI to ensure replicability and transparency. Additionally, future systematic reviews should consider meta-aggregation techniques for studies reporting barriers, facilitators, linked implementation strategies, and related implementation outcomes.