Advancing Pediatric Medication Adherence Through Digital Health Psychology: A Narrative Review

Background: Insufficient adherence to medication regimens creates a major challenge in the management of chronic pediatric diseases. This challenge can result in unfavorable clinical outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and reduced quality of life. This narrative review examines and synthesizes the existing evidence on the effectiveness of integrated approaches (combining health psychology principles and digital technologies) for enhancing pediatric medication adherence. Methods: This study was a narrative review based on a systematic search across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO from ۲۰۱۳ to ۲۰۲۵. The inclusion criteria comprised studies that examined integrated interventions in children with chronic diseases. The psychological principles included theoretical foundations such as motivational interviewing, parent education, and behavior change frameworks. The digital technologies encompassed mainly Wearables/ Telemonitoring, Web Portals, Mobile Apps, and other digital tools. Study selection and data extraction were performed according to the PRISMA narrative-adapted guidelines. Results: Digital technologies, including wearable devices, physical monitoring systems, web portals, mobile applications, and other useful technologies, are effective in promoting medication adherence among pediatric patients with chronic diseases. By providing reminders, feedback, and education, these tools increased self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. They improved patients’ and families’ quality of life, consistent with the principles of health psychology regarding behavior change. Parental involvement was a key factor in the success of these interventions, with the highest effectiveness observed in diseases such as asthma, Type ۱ diabetes, and epilepsy. Simultaneously, digital access inequality, low health literacy, and privacy concerns were identified as major challenges in implementing these programs. Conclusions: This review reveals that an integrated approach grounded in digital health psychology provides a comprehensive and effective framework for enhancing pediatric medication adherence. This approach not only targets the multiple barriers to adherence but also improves treatment outcomes and reduces readmissions. Nevertheless, effectiveness is influenced by factors such as active parental involvement, digital health literacy, and cultural and economic barriers. For future research, the development of integrated models using systematic frameworks, the engagement of stakeholders, the conduct of longitudinal trials with large and diverse samples, and the examination of ethical and legal dimensions, including data security and informed consent, are essential.

کلیدواژه ها:

Digital health ، Health behavior ، Medication adherence ، Patient compliance ، Pediatrics