Systematic review of the Absorptive Capacity Theory and its’ application to mHealth Technologies for Adverse Drug Reaction reporting in Uganda

Résumé

Background and Purpose: Mobile health (mHealth) technologies have emerged as transformative tools for enhancing healthcare delivery and patient safety worldwide. In Uganda, the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure presents significant opportunities to leverage mobile devices for communication, data collection, and patient management. However, despite these advances, the utilization of mHealth technologies remains low, particularly in the reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs), a critical component of strengthening pharmacovigilance systems. Although prior studies have examined mHealth utilization in domains such as family planning, maternal and child health, infectious disease management, and health education, limited research has systematically investigated their underutilization in ADR reporting. This study addresses this gap by applying the Absorptive Capacity Theory to understand the enablers of effective utilization of mHealth technologies for reporting ADRs in Ugandan Public Healthcare. As such,  this systematic review explores how Absorptive Capacity (ACAP) has been defined and conceptualized within the Information Systems (IS) literature, identifies the different levels of analysis of ACAP, examines the key determinants influencing ACAP, and assesses how Absorptive Capacity Theory can serve as a theoretical lens for understanding the enablers of mobile technology utilization for ADR reporting in public healthcare settings.

Methods: The review included peer-reviewed English-language studies published between 2010 and 2025 that examined ACAP within IS, IT, mHealth innovations, and ADR reporting. Comprehensive searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and Google Scholar, following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) systematic review guidelines. The process involved duplicate removal and documentation through a PRISMA flow diagram. Out of 134 initial records, 25 studies met the inclusion criteria.

Results: The findings indicate that ACAP is a dynamic, multi-level capability encompassing both structural (knowledge systems, infrastructure) and behavioral (learning, collaboration) dimensions. It functions across individual, group, organizational, and team levels, enabling the assimilation and application of new knowledge to support innovation utilization in complex healthcare environments.

Conclusions: The review concludes that to comprehensively understand the enablers of mHealth utilization for ADR reporting in Uganda’s public healthcare, it is essential to integrate team-level absorptive capacity (meso level) with organizational and individual absorptive capacities (macro and micro levels). Such integration provides an in-depth understanding of the multi-layered processes that facilitate the utilization of mHealth technologies in reporting ADRs and effective pharmacovigilance in resource-constrained settings.

Keywords: Absorptive Capacity, mHealth technologies, Utilization, Adverse Drug Reactions, Pharmacovigilance, Healthcare