The App Rating Inventory: A Novel Method for Evaluating Mobile Apps (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Mackey ◽  
Ann Gleason ◽  
Robert Ciulla
Keyword(s):  
Market Research ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Disease Category ◽  
Broad Application ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Positive Score ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Objective Rating

BACKGROUND A prodigious number of mobile health apps have flooded the market. The lack of guidelines for identifying high-quality apps from the overwhelming number of available apps creates confusion forestalling clinical adoption. OBJECTIVE The Defense Health Agency’s (DHA) Connected Health Branch developed the app rating inventory (ARI), an objective rating system with capability for broad application across condition areas. METHODS During the development of the ARI, three rounds of testing were conducted to enhance the tool’s performance, reduce redundancy, validate the ARI’s broad application, and assess potential subjectivity. RESULTS The ARI is a 28-item, three-criterion tool. The evidence criterion contains six items, and the content and customizability criterion each contain eleven items. Scoring is based on a simple binary system: either the app contains the feature or it does not. The 28 items are weighted equally; no one item is considered more (or less) important than any other. Each rated app receives four scores: a score for evidence, content, and customizability, and a total score (the sum of the three categories.). Higher scores indicate that the app obtained a positive score on more items than a similar app with a lower score. The evidence, content and customizability scores allow a clinician to make focused decisions when selecting an app for clinical use. CONCLUSIONS Using a two-phased process (market research followed by ratings), the ARI is able to evaluate apps for evidence, content and customizability. Scoring systems provide guidance; they filter down hundreds of apps in a disease category to a handful for consideration. Indeed, apps are not new medicine; in many cases, they are a novel delivery system for proven interventions.

Assessment and Prediction of Privacy Concerns on Health Apps (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reham AlTamime ◽  
Vincent Marmion ◽  
Wendy Hall
Keyword(s):  
Data Sharing ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Retention Rate ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
And Control

BACKGROUND Mobile apps and IoT-enabled smartphones technologies facilitate collecting, sharing, and inferring from a vast amount of data about individuals’ location, health conditions, mobility status, and other factors. The use of such technology highlights the importance of understanding individuals’ privacy concerns to design applications that integrate their privacy expectations and requirements. OBJECTIVE This paper explores, assesses, and predicts individuals’ privacy concerns in relation to collecting and disclosing data on mobile health apps. METHODS We designed a questionnaire to identify participants’ privacy concerns pertaining to a set of 432 mobile apps’ data collection and sharing scenarios. Participants were presented with 27 scenarios that varied across three categorical factors: (1) type of data collected (e.g. health, demographic, behavioral, and location); (2) data sharing (e.g., whether it is shared, and for what purpose); and, (3) retention rate (e.g., forever, until the purpose is satisfied, unspecified, week, or year). RESULTS Our findings show that type of data, data sharing, and retention rate are all factors that affect individuals’ privacy concerns. However, specific factors such as collecting and disclosing health data to a third-party tracker play a larger role than other factors in triggering privacy concerns. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that it is possible to predict privacy concerns based on these three factors. We propose design approaches that can improve users’ awareness and control of their data on mobile applications

scholarly journals Mobile Health Apps for Medical Emergencies: Systematic Review

10.2196/18513 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e18513
Author(s):  
Alejandro Plaza Roncero ◽  
Gonçalo Marques ◽  
Beatriz Sainz-De-Abajo ◽  
Francisco Martín-Rodríguez ◽  
Carlos del Pozo Vegas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Store ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Medical Emergencies ◽  
Google Play

Background Mobile health apps are used to improve the quality of health care. These apps are changing the current scenario in health care, and their numbers are increasing. Objective We wanted to perform an analysis of the current status of mobile health technologies and apps for medical emergencies. We aimed to synthesize the existing body of knowledge to provide relevant insights for this topic. Moreover, we wanted to identify common threads and gaps to support new challenging, interesting, and relevant research directions. Methods We reviewed the main relevant papers and apps available in the literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was used in this review. The search criteria were adopted using systematic methods to select papers and apps. On one hand, a bibliographic review was carried out in different search databases to collect papers related to each application in the health emergency field using defined criteria. On the other hand, a review of mobile apps in two virtual storage platforms (Google Play Store and Apple App Store) was carried out. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store are related to the Android and iOS operating systems, respectively. Results In the literature review, 28 papers in the field of medical emergency were included. These studies were collected and selected according to established criteria. Moreover, we proposed a taxonomy using six groups of applications. In total, 324 mobile apps were found, with 192 identified in the Google Play Store and 132 identified in the Apple App Store. Conclusions We found that all apps in the Google Play Store were free, and 73 apps in the Apple App Store were paid, with the price ranging from US $0.89 to US $5.99. Moreover, 39% (11/28) of the included studies were related to warning systems for emergency services and 21% (6/28) were associated with disaster management apps.

Nick Noguez and Michael Gonzalez Discuss their Research Project: Are Social Features in Mobile Health Apps Effective in Engaging Users? A Content Analysis of Smoking Cessation Mobile Apps

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Noguez And Michael Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Social Features ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

  Despite the ubiquity of smartphone ownership and the increasing integration of social engagement features in smoking cessation apps to engage users, thesocial engagement features that exist in current smoking cessation apps and how effective these social features are in engaging users remain unclear. To fill the gap in the literature, a content analysis of free and paid smoking cessation mobile apps isconducted to examine a) the presence of socialengagement features(e.g., social support, social announcement, social referencing) and non-social engagement features (e.g., personal environmental changes, goal setting), and b) their relationship with user ratingsand engagement scores (e.g., Mobile App rating scale [MARS]). The findings will not only extend the mobile health apps engagement typology,but also inform smoking cessation mobile apps design.

scholarly journals Win Big Fast! An Evaluation of Mobile Applications Available in Australia for Problem Gambling

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Ridley ◽  
Amy Wiltshire ◽  
Mathew Coleman
Keyword(s):  
Problem Gambling ◽  
Nous Avons ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Traditional Therapies ◽  
Therapeutic Model

With the increase in availability of gambling applications (apps) for mobile phones, it has never been easier for individuals to access gaming systems. A proportion of these users will be affected by gambling disorder (GD). Traditional therapies for GD can be geographically and financially difficult to access. Mobile health apps can be useful for other addictions and provide another avenue of treatment for GD. Our objective in this study was to review the features, models of treatment, and aims of apps marketed to assist people in addressing their gambling. We searched the three largest app stores in Australia and performed a descriptive analysis based on the Mobile App Rating Scale of the apps purporting to be of assistance in managing GD or problem gambling. The number of apps available for addressing GD in Australia was vastly outnumbered by the number of apps for gambling or gaming. Apps that met the inclusion criteria most often aimed at total cessation of gambling, but did not use a recognizable therapeutic model. A majority of apps featured a single tool, most often a sober time tracker. Few of the apps were affiliated with existing services, and those that were tended to have a broader range of features and tools. Mobile apps present another way for individuals who are struggling with GD or problem gambling to access treatment. For apps to be effective, more attention needs to be paid to their design in order for them to be both useful and noticeable in the milieu of more invitingly designed apps that promote gambling.RésuméÉtant donné le nombre grandissant d’applications de jeux de hasard pour téléphone mobile, il n’a jamais été aussi facile d’accéder à des systèmes de jeu. Un certain nombre des utilisateurs de ces appareils développeront une dépendance au jeu (DJ). Les thérapies conventionnelles en matière de DJ peuvent être difficiles d’accès en raison de la distance géographique et de leur coût. Les applications mobiles dédiées à la santé, parfois pour traiter d’autres formes de dépendance, pourraient offrir des possibilités de traitement du jeu pathologique. Nous avons analysé les caractéristiques, les modèles de traitement et les objectifs des applications qui prétendent aider les individus à dominer leur DP. Nous avons fouillé les trois principales boutiques d’applications d’Australie à la recherche de tels produits, puis les avons soumis à une analyse descriptive fondée sur un Mobile App Rating Scale [échelle d’évaluation des applications mobiles]. Le nombre d’applications destinées au contrôle de la DJ est largement inférieur à celui des produits dédiés à la pratique des jeux de hasard et des jeux vidéo. Les applications retenues visent pour la plupart l’abandon définitif du jeu, sans reposer sur un modèle thérapeutique reconnaissable. La majorité comporte un seul et unique outil, soit un dispositif de minutage du temps passé sans jouer. Quelques-unes sont jumelées à des services existants; elles tendent à offrir un éventail plus grand de caractéristiques et d’outils. Les applications mobiles offrent aux personnes aux prises avec une dépendance au jeu une autre voie d’accès au traitement. Pour améliorer leur efficacité, toutefois, il faudra accorder une plus grande attention à leur conception et faire en sorte qu’elles se démarquent nettement des applications autrement plus attrayantes qui font la promotion du jeu.

Mobile Health Apps: Improving Usability for Older Adult Users

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 4-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Morey ◽  
Rachel E. Stuck ◽  
Amy W. Chong ◽  
Laura H. Barg-Walkow ◽  
Tracy L. Mitzner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Smartphone Use ◽  
Older Populations

With smartphone use among older populations on the rise, older adults have increased access to health-focused mobile apps. Despite their potential benefits for managing health, currently no guidelines exist for designing these apps specifically for older adult users. We evaluated the usability of one medication management app and two congestive heart failure management apps using cognitive walkthroughs, heuristic analysis, and user testing. We identified design issues that may affect usability for older users, including poor navigation, small button sizes, and inadequate data visualizations. We provide guidelines for developers of health apps to facilitate use by older adults.

scholarly journals Mobile Health Apps for Medical Emergencies: Systematic Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Plaza Roncero ◽  
Gonçalo Marques ◽  
Beatriz Sainz-De-Abajo ◽  
Francisco Martín-Rodríguez ◽  
Carlos del Pozo Vegas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Store ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Medical Emergencies ◽  
Google Play

BACKGROUND Mobile health apps are used to improve the quality of health care. These apps are changing the current scenario in health care, and their numbers are increasing. OBJECTIVE We wanted to perform an analysis of the current status of mobile health technologies and apps for medical emergencies. We aimed to synthesize the existing body of knowledge to provide relevant insights for this topic. Moreover, we wanted to identify common threads and gaps to support new challenging, interesting, and relevant research directions. METHODS We reviewed the main relevant papers and apps available in the literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was used in this review. The search criteria were adopted using systematic methods to select papers and apps. On one hand, a bibliographic review was carried out in different search databases to collect papers related to each application in the health emergency field using defined criteria. On the other hand, a review of mobile apps in two virtual storage platforms (Google Play Store and Apple App Store) was carried out. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store are related to the Android and iOS operating systems, respectively. RESULTS In the literature review, 28 papers in the field of medical emergency were included. These studies were collected and selected according to established criteria. Moreover, we proposed a taxonomy using six groups of applications. In total, 324 mobile apps were found, with 192 identified in the Google Play Store and 132 identified in the Apple App Store. CONCLUSIONS We found that all apps in the Google Play Store were free, and 73 apps in the Apple App Store were paid, with the price ranging from US $0.89 to US $5.99. Moreover, 39% (11/28) of the included studies were related to warning systems for emergency services and 21% (6/28) were associated with disaster management apps.

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

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

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

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

scholarly journals Smart Healthcare Apps for Quality Cancer Patient Support

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-48
Author(s):  
Angelina Kouroubali ◽  
Lefteris Koumakis ◽  
Haridimos Kondylakis ◽  
Dimitrios G. Katehakis
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Health ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coordinated Care ◽  
Cancer Disease ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Smart Healthcare ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Digital Engagement

This paper analyzes the clinical and technological characteristics of cancer mobile apps that enable patients to securely record, manage, and share their information. It proposes an integrated approach towards developing quality mobile health apps for cancer and discusses issues relevant to the enhancement of patient experience and acceptance, adherence to treatment, and effective support of coordinated care. Regulation, standardization, and interoperability together with the existence of useful, accurate, and reliable tools for active patient engagement are important aids towards efficient cancer disease management. Improving quality of life and well-being, in a secure and safe manner that respects the patients' privacy, seems to be a key challenge, together with the exploitation of the outcomes of recent research projects, relevant to end user digital engagement towards an integrated approach for the introduction of trustworthy, interoperable, usable, adaptable, and quality mobile health apps.

scholarly journals Mobile Apps for Health Behavior Change in Physical Activity, Diet, Drug and Alcohol Use, and Mental Health: Systematic Review

10.2196/17046 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e17046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Milne-Ives ◽  
Ching Lam ◽  
Caroline De Cock ◽  
Michelle Helena Van Velthoven ◽  
Edward Meinert
Keyword(s):  
Health Behavior ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Drug And Alcohol Use ◽  
Drug And Alcohol

Background With a growing focus on patient interaction with health management, mobile apps are increasingly used to deliver behavioral health interventions. The large variation in these mobile health apps—their target patient group, health behavior, and behavioral change strategies—has resulted in a large but incohesive body of literature. Objective This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of mobile apps in improving health behaviors and outcomes and to examine the inclusion and effectiveness of behavior change techniques (BCTs) in mobile health apps. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science were systematically searched for articles published between 2014 and 2019 that evaluated mobile apps for health behavior change. Two authors independently screened and selected studies according to the eligibility criteria. Data were extracted and the risk of bias was assessed by one reviewer and validated by a second reviewer. Results A total of 52 randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis—37 studies focused on physical activity, diet, or a combination of both, 11 on drug and alcohol use, and 4 on mental health. Participant perceptions were generally positive—only one app was rated as less helpful and satisfactory than the control—and the studies that measured engagement and usability found relatively high study completion rates (mean 83%; n=18, N=39) and ease-of-use ratings (3 significantly better than control, 9/15 rated >70%). However, there was little evidence of changed behavior or health outcomes. Conclusions There was no strong evidence in support of the effectiveness of mobile apps in improving health behaviors or outcomes because few studies found significant differences between the app and control groups. Further research is needed to identify the BCTs that are most effective at promoting behavior change. Improved reporting is necessary to accurately evaluate the mobile health app effectiveness and risk of bias.

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