An introduction to methodological challenges in the evaluation of eHealth research: Perspectives from the Health e-Technologies Initiative

In February 2002 the Health e-Technologies Initiative (HETI), a program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation®, was created to advance discovery of scientific knowledge regarding the effectiveness of interactive eHealth applications. This article is the introduction to a series of seven articles written by grantees of HETI which address challenges, lessons learned, and proposed solutions as researchers implement eHealth projects. From this body of work it is clear that the overall process of conducting evaluation research in eHealth requires careful and detailed planning, recognition of the heightened sensitivity of IRBs, and institutions around the electronic collection and communication of personal health information, and a combination of tenacity and creativity to address the inevitable thorny methodological challenges to eHealth research. Use of established guidelines to help standardize the evaluation process, where feasible, is recommended.