A Systematic Review of Usefulness Design Goals of Occupational Mobile Health Apps for Healthcare Workers

BACKGROUND The use of digitally-enabled care and the emphasis on self-management of health is growing. Mobile health apps provide a promising means of supporting health behaviour change; however, engagement with them is often poor and evidence of their impact on health outcomes is lacking. As engagement is a key prerequisite to health behaviour change, it is essential to understand how engagement with mobile health apps and their target health behaviours can be better supported. Despite an increasing recognition of the importance of engagement in the literature, there is still a lack of understanding of how different components of engagement are associated with specific techniques that aim to change behaviours. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this systematic review protocol is to provide a synthesis of the associations between various Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs)and the different components of engagement (and their outcome measures) with mobile health apps. METHODS The review protocol was structured using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) and the Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) frameworks. Six databases will be systematically searched: PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), APA PsycInfo, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction will be conducted by two independent reviewers. Data will be extracted into a predetermined form, and any disagreements in screening or data extraction will be discussed, with a third reviewer consulted if consensus cannot be reached. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 and ROBINS-I tools and descriptive and thematic analyses will be used to summarise the relationships between BCTs and the different components of engagement. RESULTS The systematic review has not been started. It is expected to be completed and submitted for publication by January 2022. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review will summarize the associations between different BCTs and various components and measures of engagement with mobile health apps. This will identify areas where further research is needed to examine BCTs that could potentially support effective engagement and help to inform the design and evaluation of future mobile health apps. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO (reference number TBD)

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Quality Assessment Criteria for Mobile Health Apps: A Systematic Review

Walailak Journal of Science and Technology (WJST) ◽

10.48048/wjst.2020.6482 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (8) ◽

pp. 745-759

Author(s):

Wilasinee HONGSANUN ◽

Suppachai INSUK

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Quality Assessment ◽

Mobile Health ◽

User Satisfaction ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Security And Privacy ◽

Assessment Criteria ◽

Health Apps ◽

Mobile Health Apps

Summative evidences on the criteria for user assessment of health apps are still limited. In order to determine an assessment method for mobile health apps, rigorous and appropriate criteria must be chosen. The aim of this study is to review the existing quality assessment criteria that are being used to assess the quality of mobile health apps focusing on users’ perspectives. In addition, a procedure for the quality assessment of health apps is also presented. A systematic review was conducted utilizing 5 databases; PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, CENTRAL and IEEE Xplore from 2008 to 2017. Search terms were; “mHealth”, “Applications”, “iOS OR Android”, “smartphones”, “quality”, etc. Papers that assessed the quality of health apps by users were selected. The PRISMA guideline was followed to complete the list of final studies. Likewise, a data extraction form was based on the PICO framework. From 6,514 studies, 69 studies met the eligibility criteria. Four hundred and forty-one quality assessment criteria for users were classified into 15 domains: Ease of use, Usability, Aesthetics, Connectivity, Functionality, Information, User satisfaction, Acceptability, Error occurrence, Motivation, Engagement, Data management, Undesirable events, Credentials and Security and privacy. An “ease of use” domain was found common in the included studies. The 15 domains were suggested as criteria for further study of the quality assessment and development of mHealth apps. Moreover, five recommended steps were presented for future research of quality of mobile health apps.

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Standards for mobile health-related apps (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13057 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jordi Miró ◽

Pere Llorens-Vernet

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Medical Devices ◽

Professional Organizations ◽

Care Providers ◽

Health Apps ◽

Health Related ◽

Mobile Health Apps ◽

Specific Regulation

BACKGROUND In recent years, the considerable increase in the number of mobile health apps has made healthcare more accessible and affordable for all. However, the exponential growth in mHealth solutions has occurred with almost no control or regulation of any kind. Despite some recent initiatives, there is still no specific regulation procedure, accreditation system or standards to help the development of the apps, mitigate risks or guarantee quality. OBJECTIVE The main aim of this study is to provide a set of standards for mobile health-related apps on the basis of what is available from guidelines, frameworks, and standards in the field of health app development. METHODS To identify the most important criteria, we used three strategies. First, we conducted a systematic review of all the studies published on health-related apps. Second, we searched for health-app recommendations on the websites of professional organizations. Finally, we looked for standards governing the development of software for medical devices on the specialized webs of regulatory organizations. Then, we compiled the criteria we had identified and determined which of them could be regarded as essential, recommendable or desirable. RESULTS We identified a total of 168 criteria from the systematic review, 282 criteria from published guidelines, and 53 criteria from the standards of medical devices. These criteria were then grouped and subsumed under 8 categories, which included 36 important criteria for health apps. Of these 7 were considered to be essential, 18 recommendable, and 11 desirable. The more essential criteria an mHealth application has, the greater its quality. CONCLUSIONS This set of standards can be easily used by health care providers, developers, patients and other stakeholders, both to guide the development of mHealth related apps and to measure the quality of an mHealth app.

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Mobile Apps for Health Behavior Change: Protocol for a Systematic Review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.16931 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Madison Milne-Ives ◽

Ching Lam ◽

Michelle Helena Van Velthoven ◽

Edward Meinert

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Behavior ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Health Behavior Change ◽

Mobile App ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Health Apps ◽

Mobile Health Apps

BACKGROUND The popularity and ubiquity of mobile apps have rapidly expanded in the past decade. With a growing focus on patient interaction with health management, mobile apps are increasingly used to monitor health and deliver behavioral interventions. The considerable variation in these mobile health apps, from their target patient group to their health behavior, and their behavioral change strategy, has resulted in a large but incohesive body of literature. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this protocol is to provide an overview of the current landscape, theories behind, and effectiveness of mobile apps for health behavior change. METHODS The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols will be used to structure this protocol. The focus of the systematic review is guided by a population, intervention, comparator, and outcome framework. A systematic search of Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science will be conducted. Two authors will independently screen the titles and abstracts of identified references and select studies according to the eligibility criteria. Any discrepancies will then be discussed and resolved. One reviewer will extract data into a standardized form, which will be validated by a second reviewer. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool, and a descriptive analysis will summarize the effectiveness of all the apps. RESULTS As of November 2019, the systematic review has been completed and is in peer review for publication. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review will summarize the current mobile app technologies and their effectiveness, usability, and coherence with behavior change theory. It will identify areas of improvement (where there is no evidence of efficacy) and help inform the development of more useful and engaging mobile health apps. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT PRR1-10.2196/16931

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Mobile Apps for Health Behavior Change: Protocol for a Systematic Review

JMIR Research Protocols ◽

10.2196/16931 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. e16931

Author(s):

Madison Milne-Ives ◽

Ching Lam ◽

Michelle Helena Van Velthoven ◽

Edward Meinert

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Behavior ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Health Behavior Change ◽

Mobile App ◽

Risk Of Bias ◽

Health Apps ◽

Mobile Health Apps

Background The popularity and ubiquity of mobile apps have rapidly expanded in the past decade. With a growing focus on patient interaction with health management, mobile apps are increasingly used to monitor health and deliver behavioral interventions. The considerable variation in these mobile health apps, from their target patient group to their health behavior, and their behavioral change strategy, has resulted in a large but incohesive body of literature. Objective The purpose of this protocol is to provide an overview of the current landscape, theories behind, and effectiveness of mobile apps for health behavior change. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols will be used to structure this protocol. The focus of the systematic review is guided by a population, intervention, comparator, and outcome framework. A systematic search of Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science will be conducted. Two authors will independently screen the titles and abstracts of identified references and select studies according to the eligibility criteria. Any discrepancies will then be discussed and resolved. One reviewer will extract data into a standardized form, which will be validated by a second reviewer. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool, and a descriptive analysis will summarize the effectiveness of all the apps. Results As of November 2019, the systematic review has been completed and is in peer review for publication. Conclusions This systematic review will summarize the current mobile app technologies and their effectiveness, usability, and coherence with behavior change theory. It will identify areas of improvement (where there is no evidence of efficacy) and help inform the development of more useful and engaging mobile health apps. Trial Registration PROSPERO CRD42019155604; https://tinyurl.com/sno4lcu International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/16931

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Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behaviour change: A systematic review

Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare ◽

10.1177/1357633x16673538 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 22-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 110

Author(s):

Fiona H McKay ◽

Christina Cheng ◽

Annemarie Wright ◽

Jane Shill ◽

Hugh Stephens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Behaviour Change ◽

Health Behaviour ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Best Practice ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Sufficient Information ◽

Health Apps ◽

Health Behaviour Change ◽

Mobile Health Apps

Introduction Increasing smartphones access has allowed for increasing development and use of smart phone applications (apps). Mobile health interventions have previously relied on voice or text-based short message services (SMS), however, the increasing availability and ease of use of apps has allowed for significant growth of smartphone apps that can be used for health behaviour change. This review considers the current body of knowledge relating to the evaluation of apps for health behaviour change. The aim of this review is to investigate approaches to the evaluation of health apps to identify any current best practice approaches. Method A systematic review was conducted. Data were collected and analysed in September 2016. Thirty-eight articles were identified and have been included in this review. Results Articles were published between 2011– 2016, and 36 were reviews or evaluations of apps related to one or more health conditions, the remaining two reported on an investigation of the usability of health apps. Studies investigated apps relating to the following areas: alcohol, asthma, breastfeeding, cancer, depression, diabetes, general health and fitness, headaches, heart disease, HIV, hypertension, iron deficiency/anaemia, low vision, mindfulness, obesity, pain, physical activity, smoking, weight management and women’s health. Conclusion In order to harness the potential of mobile health apps for behaviour change and health, we need better ways to assess the quality and effectiveness of apps. This review is unable to suggest a single best practice approach to evaluate mobile health apps. Few measures identified in this review included sufficient information or evaluation, leading to potentially incomplete and inaccurate information for consumers seeking the best app for their situation. This is further complicated by a lack of regulation in health promotion generally.

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Associations between Behaviour Change Techniques and engagement with mobile health apps: Systematic review protocol (Preprint)

JMIR Research Protocols ◽

10.2196/35172 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Madison Milne-Ives ◽

Sophie Homer ◽

Jackie Andrade ◽

Edward Meinert

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Behaviour Change ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Behaviour Change Techniques ◽

Systematic Review Protocol ◽

Health Apps ◽

Mobile Health Apps ◽

Review Protocol

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Patients’ adherence to smartphone apps in the management of bipolar disorder: a systematic review

International Journal of Bipolar Disorders ◽

10.1186/s40345-021-00224-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marie-Camille Patoz ◽

Diego Hidalgo-Mazzei ◽

Bruno Pereira ◽

Olivier Blanc ◽

Ingrid de Chazeron ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Smartphone Apps ◽

Exclusion Criteria ◽

Future Studies ◽

Health Apps ◽

Definition Of ◽

Bipolar Patients ◽

Digital Or

Abstract Background Despite an increasing number of available mental health apps in the bipolar disorder field, these tools remain scarcely implemented in everyday practice and are quickly discontinued by patients after downloading. The aim of this study is to explore adherence characteristics of bipolar disorder patients to dedicated smartphone interventions in research studies. Methods A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted. Three databases (EMBASE, PsychInfo and MEDLINE) were searched using the following keywords: "bipolar disorder" or "mood disorder" or “bipolar” combined with “digital” or “mobile” or “phone” or “smartphone” or “mHealth” or “ehealth” or "mobile health" or “app” or “mobile-health”. Results Thirteen articles remained in the review after exclusion criteria were applied. Of the 118 eligible studies, 39 did not provide adherence characteristics. Among the selected papers, study length, sample size and definition of measures of adherence were strongly heterogeneous. Activity rates ranged from 58 to 91.6%. Conclusion The adherence of bipolar patients to apps is understudied. Standardised measures of adherence should be defined and systematically evaluated in future studies dedicated to these tools.

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