Digital mHealth Interventions for Employees Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Their Effects on Workplace Outcomes

Objectives: To justify the capital investment, employers require proof of benefit of digital mHealth beyond symptomatic improvement. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to identify studies investigating digital mHealth interventions for employees and their effects on workplace outcomes. Results: We identified 28 eligible studies, (8023 employees) comparing digital mHealth interventions to controls. Small significant effects at postintervention in engagement (g = 0.19), and productivity (g = 0.16) were found. Sustained effects were observed, engagement (g = 0.24) and productivity (g = 0.20). There was a wide range of study heterogeneity (I-2 = 16% to 94%). Conclusion: In RCTs digital mHealth interventions demonstrate small, potentially sustained efficacy on employee's engagement and productivity. Similar small yet non-significant effect sizes were seen for absenteeism and presenteeism. This supports the need to find ways of enabling employers to deliver these low-cost digital mHealth interventions that can help improve employee's mental health.