BACKGROUND
The broad availability of smartphones and the number of health applications (health apps) in app stores have risen in recent years. Health apps have benefits for individuals to monitor their health as well as for the researcher to collect data in population-based, clinical, and observational studies. Although the number of health apps on the global app market is huge and its potential seems to be high, smartphone app-based questionnaires for collecting patient-related data have not played an important role so far.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to provide an overview of studies that have collected patient data using an app-based approach, with a particular focus on longitudinal studies. This literature review describes the current state of affairs in terms of the extent to which smartphones have been used for collecting (patient) data for research purposes, and the potentials and challenges associated with this approach.
METHODS
A scoping review of studies using data collection via apps was conducted. PubMed was used to identify studies describing the utilization of smartphone app questionnaires for collecting data over time. Overall, 17 articles were included in the summary.
RESULTS
There are only a few studies integrating smartphone apps into data-collection approaches. Studies dealing with the collection of health-related data via smartphone apps have mainly been developed in the field of psychosomatic, neurodegenerative, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as malign neoplasm. The study duration for data collection varied from four weeks to twelve months, and the participants’ mean ages ranged from 7 to 69 years.
Potential can be seen for real-time information transfer, fast data synchronization from entry to provision (which saves time and increases effectivity), and the possibility of tracking responses longitudinally. Furthermore, smartphone-based data-collection techniques might prevent biases such as reminder bias or mistakes occurring during manual data transfers. In chronic diseases, real-time communication with the physician and early detection of symptoms enable rapid modifications in the management of the disease.
CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that using mobile technologies can help to overcome challenges linked with data collection in epidemiological research. However, further feasibility studies need to be conducted in the near future to test the applicability and acceptance of these mobile applications for epidemiological research in various subpopulations.
CLINICALTRIAL
Mobile applications for data collection in longitudinal epidemiological studies: Possibilities, problems and perspectives identified by a scoping review (Preprint)