Integrating Smart Health Home™ Technologies into Healthcare: A Comprehensive Umbrella Review of Usage, Effectiveness, and Future Directions

Smart home technologies have emerged as transformative tools for enhancing healthcare delivery. This paper presents a comprehensive umbrella review of studies retrieved from PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus, focusing on the usage, effectiveness, and outcomes of these technologies in healthcare. The 13 reviewed studies highlighted three primary components of smart health home™ technologies: sensor networks, interactive user interfaces, and communication systems. Sensor technologies, including motion, health monitoring, and environmental sensors, enable continuous tracking of health metrics, fall detection, and maintenance of optimal living conditions. Interactive user interfaces, such as mobile applications and robotic devices, facilitate user engagement and support daily activities that are essential for health and well-being, while communication systems enhance remote monitoring and emergency health management. Our review found that the implementation of smart health homes significantly improves health outcomes by enabling early intervention, promoting independence, and enhancing the quality of life for older adults. However, challenges such as usability issues, ethical concerns, and data privacy must be addressed to ensure widespread adoption and effectiveness. This paper underscores the potential of smart home technologies to revolutionize healthcare while emphasizing the need for user-centered design and secure implementation.