scholarly journals Mobile Apps to Fight the COVID-19 Crisis

Data ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Chrisa Tsinaraki ◽  
Irena Mitton ◽  
Marco Minghini ◽  
Marina Micheli ◽  
Alexander Kotsev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Qualitative Information ◽  
Complementary Information ◽  
Manual Analysis ◽  
Status Information ◽  
Google Play

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a multi-faceted global crisis, which triggered the diverse and quickly emerging use of old and new digital tools. We have developed a multi-channel approach for the monitoring and analysis of a subset of such tools, the COVID-19 related mobile applications (apps). Our approach builds on the information available in the two most prominent app stores (i.e., Google Play for Android-powered devices and Apple’s App Store for iOS-powered devices), as well as on relevant tweets and digital media outlets. The dataset presented here is one of the outcomes of this approach, uses the content of the app stores and enriches it, providing aggregated information about 837 mobile apps published across the world to fight the COVID-19 crisis. This information includes: (a) information available in the mobile app stores between 20 April 2020 and 2 August 2020; (b) complementary information obtained from manual analysis performed until mid-September 2020; and (c) status information about app availability on 28 February 2021, when we last collected data from the mobile app stores. We highlight our findings with a series of descriptives, which depict both the activities in the app stores and the qualitative information that was revealed by the manual analysis.

Mobile Applications for Allergic Rhinitis

2018 ◽  
Vol 127 (11) ◽  
pp. 836-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert H. Zhou ◽  
Varesh R. Patel ◽  
Soly Baredes ◽  
Jean Anderson Eloy ◽  
Wayne D. Hsueh
Keyword(s):  
Allergic Rhinitis ◽  
Operating Systems ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
App Store ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Pollen Forecast ◽  
Google Play

Objective: To study and review the currently available mobile applications relating to allergic rhinitis. Methods: The Apple and Google mobile app stores were queried with search terms relating to allergic rhinitis. Apps were assigned to categories and analyzed based on description and characteristics such as popularity, reviews, cost, platform, and physician involvement in development. Results: A total of 72 apps related to allergic rhinitis were identified. Fifty-four apps were unique, with 18 apps found on both operating systems. Forty (55.5%) apps were available in the Apple App store, and 32 (44.4%) apps were available in the Google Play app store. They were grouped into the following categories: patient education (18; 25%), journals (15; 20.8%), symptom tracking (14; 19.4%), clinical/private practice (13; 18.1%), pollen forecast (7; 9.7%), medical education (4; 5.6%), and other (1; 1.4%). The majority of apps were free of charge (67; 93.1%), with paid apps ranging from $1.47 to $4.99. Apps that were reviewed had an average rating of 3.9 out of 5. Physicians were involved in the development of 37 (51.4%) apps. Conclusions: The collection of mobile apps developed for allergic rhinitis includes those for both educational and clinical use. Mobile apps may have an increasing role in otolaryngic allergy and rhinology practices in the future. Thus, continued research is warranted to determine the best way to ensure the accuracy and quality of app content as well as the extent mobile apps can benefit allergic rhinitis patients.

scholarly journals Analysis of Mobile Applications to Support Family Caregivers of People with Neurocognitive Disorders in Managing Disruptive Behaviors: A Qualitative Study with Users Embedded in a Scoping Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie Desormeaux-Moreau ◽  
Charlie-Maude Michel ◽  
Mélanie Vallières ◽  
Maryse Racine ◽  
Myriame Poulin-Paquet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Disruptive Behaviors ◽  
Neurocognitive Disorders ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Burden Of Care ◽  
Google Play ◽  
Support Family

BACKGROUND People with neurocognitive disorders (NCD) often display disruptive behaviors (eg, aggression, wandering and restlessness), which increase family caregivers’ burden of care. However, there are few tools currently available to help these caregivers manage disruptive behaviors. Mobile applications (apps) could meet this need but to date little is known about them. OBJECTIVE 1) Identify existing mobile apps designed to support family caregivers of people with NCD in managing disruptive behaviors; 2) Explore whether family caregivers view these mobile apps as relevant to meeting their needs and useful in managing disruptive behaviors; and 3) Document the types of mobile apps that appeal to and interest the most family caregivers (with regard to format, ergonomics, and clarity). METHODS A review of mobile apps initially conducted in February 2018 was updated in March 2019, using two platforms (App Store and Google Play). The selected apps were first analyzed independently by three raters (two students and one researcher) for each of the platforms. Then a focus group discussion was held with family caregivers to explore their perceptions of the apps according to their needs and interests. The content of the discussion was analyzed. RESULTS Seven of 118 apps initially identified met the inclusion criteria. An 8th app, recommended by one of the knowledge users, was added later. Four family caregivers (women aged between 58 and 78 years) participated in the discussion. Participants expressed a preference for easy-to-understand apps that provide concrete intervention strategies. They reported being most inclined to use two apps, Dementia Advisor and DTA Behaviours. CONCLUSIONS Few mobile apps on the market meet the needs of family caregivers in terms of content and usability. Our results could help to address this gap by identifying what family caregivers deem relevant in a mobile app to help them manage disruptive behaviors.

scholarly journals One mobile app – seven art museums. A case study of Kunstporten

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Joanna Iranowska
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Art Museums ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Media Change ◽  
Cultural Sector ◽  
Museum Educators

As digital media change our society, museums are trying to rethink their mission and benefit from the possibilities digital tools afford. First, this article provides a historical background for the development of mobile apps as digital interpretive media in Norwegian museums between 2005 and 2020. Second, it analyses a specific case – the app Kunstporten – one of the most interesting apps to have emerged in the Norwegian cultural sector in recent years. The app was developed between 2012–2013 by seven Norwegian art museums, and the first museum app in Norway targeted explicitly at children. This small case study is based on interviews with museum educators and digital walkthroughs exploring the affordances (Gibson 1978) of Kunsporten. The article seeks to answer two questions: what have education departments learned from introducing this digital interpretive media? And why is the app more successful in some museums than others?

scholarly journals MOBILE APPLICATIONS DEVELOPED BY ARAB COUNTRIES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19: A REVIEW

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (22) ◽  
pp. 200-211
Author(s):  
Zainab Hameed Alfayez ◽  
Nabaa Mohammed Al-Sinayyid ◽  
Sadeq Ibrahim AL-Ameri
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Arab Country ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Remote Communication ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Arab Region ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Google Play

Arab countries have taken different strategies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic such as: imposing travel restrictions, hygienic practices, quarantine, and a complete lock-down. They also have adopted technology-based strategies to deal with the pandemic. Mobile applications were one of these strategies since they offer an opportunity for remote communication in which potentially tackling the pandemic. Therefore, like other countries, Arab countries have developed a number of mobile apps specially to stop or mitigate the spread of the new disease. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of mobile applications being developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and especially to serve the Arab region. To achieve this goal, firstly, the related applications were chosen through searching in the two main mobile app stores (Google Play and App Store), Secondly, the number of applications developed by each country was identified, thirdly, exploring the apps in terms of the services being provided by each app. The significant findings of this review are: UAE was the Arab country that developed the biggest number of COVID-19 related mobile apps, and “remote assistant” was the service that was found in most of the identified applications. However, these applications did not consider the privacy issue and lacked solutions for healthcare staff.

Mobile Applications for Health Management of Older Adults: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurul Asilah Ahmad ◽  
Shahrul Azman Mohd Noah ◽  
Arimi Fitri Mat Ludin ◽  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Noorlaili Mohd Tohit
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Personalized Feedback ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
App Store ◽  
Evidenced Based ◽  
Google Play

BACKGROUND Currently, the use of smartphones to deliver health-related content has experienced a rapid growth, with more than 165,000 mobile health (mHealth) applications currently available in the digital marketplace such as iOS store and Google Play. Among these, there are several mobile applications (mobile apps) that offer tools for disease prevention and management among older generations. These mobile apps could potentially promote health behaviors which will reduce or delay the onset of disease. However, no review to date that has focused on the app marketplace specific for older adults and little is known regarding its evidence-based quality towards the health of older adults. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to characterize and critically appraise the content and functionality of mobile apps that focuses on health management and/or healthy lifestyle among older adults. METHODS An electronic search was conducted between May 2019 to December 2019 of the official app store for two major smartphone operating systems: iPhone operating system (iTunes App Store) and Android (Google Play Store). Stores were searched separately using predetermined search terms. Two authors screened apps based on information provided in the app description. Metadata from all included apps were abstracted into a standard assessment criteria form. Evidenced based strategies and health care expert involvement of included apps was assessed. Evidenced based strategies included: self-monitoring, goal setting, physical activity support, healthy eating support, weight and/or health assessment, personalized feedback, motivational strategies, cognitive training and social support. Two authors verified the data with reference to the apps and downloaded app themselves. RESULTS A total of 16 apps met the inclusion criteria. Six out of 16 (37.5%) apps were designed exclusively for the iOS platform while ten out of 16 (62.5%) were designed for Android platform exclusively. Physical activity component was the most common feature offered in all the apps (9/16, 56.3%) and followed by cognitive training (8/16, 50.0%). Diet/nutrition (0/16, 0%) feature, however, was not offered on all reviewed mobile apps. Of reviewed apps, 56.3% (9/16) provide education, 37.5% (6/16) provide self-monitoring features, 18.8% (3/16) provide goal setting features, 18.5% (3/16) provide personalized feedback, 6.3% (1/16) provide social support and none of the reviewed apps offers heart rate monitoring and reminder features to the users. CONCLUSIONS All reviewed mobile apps for older adults in managing health did not focused on diet/nutrition component, lack of functional components and lack of health care professional involvement in their development process. There is also a need to carry out scientific testing prior to the development of the app to ensure cost effective and its health benefits to older adults. Collaborative efforts between developers, researchers, health professionals and patients are needed in developing evidence-based, high quality mobile apps in managing health prior they are made available in the app store.

scholarly journals Seeing Things Differently: The use of mobile app interpretation and its effect on visitor experience at two heritage sites in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jessica Aitken
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Visitor Experience ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
High Street

<p>The practice of contemporary heritage interpretation has seen increased investment in digital technologies and more recently in mobile applications. However, few empirical studies assess how effective mobile apps are to the visitor experience of heritage sites. What kind of visitor experience do mobile apps provide? How do mobile apps deliver on the aims of interpretation for heritage sites? What types of apps work best? What are the challenges for developers and heritage professionals?  A qualitative research approach is used to examine two case studies; High Street Stories: the life and times of Christchurch’s High Street Precinct and IPENZ Engineering Tours: Wellington Heritage Walking Tour. These case studies ask what kind of experience mobile apps offer as an interpretation tool at these heritage sites. To investigate the topic, email interviews were carried out with heritage professionals and digital developers; together with qualitative interviews with visitors recruited to visit the case study sites using the mobile applications.   This study explores two current examples of mobile app technology in the heritage sector in a New Zealand context. The results of this study aim to augment current literature on the topic of digital interpretation. This study seeks to offer heritage managers and interpreters some key factors to consider when making decisions regarding the methods used to present and interpret heritage sites to visitors and in developing new interpretation and digital strategies that include mobile applications. Although each scenario presents its particular set of considerations and all heritage sites are different, it is hoped these recommendations can be applied and offer working models and strategies.</p>

scholarly journals Quality of Mobile Apps for Care Partners of People with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Mobile App Rating Scale Evaluation (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E Werner ◽  
Janetta C Brown ◽  
Priya Loganathar ◽  
Richard J Holden
Keyword(s):  
Rating Scale ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Future Research ◽  
App Development ◽  
Care Partners ◽  
Acceptable Quality ◽  
The Us ◽  
Google Play

BACKGROUND The over 11 million care partners in the US who provide care to people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) cite persistent and pervasive unmet needs related to all aspects of their caregiving role. The proliferation of mobile applications (apps) for care partners has potential to meet the care partners’ needs, but the quality of apps is unknown. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to 1) evaluate the quality of publicly available apps for care partners of people living with ADRD and 2) identify design features of low- and high-quality apps to guide future research and app development. METHODS We searched the US Apple and Google Play app stores with the criteria that the app needed to be 1) available in US Google play or Apple app stores, 2) directly accessible to users “out of the box”, 3) primarily intended for use by an informal (family, friend) caregiver or caregivers of a person with dementia. The included apps were then evaluated using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), which includes descriptive app classification and rating using 23 items across five dimensions: engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information, and subjective quality. Next, we computed descriptive statistics for each rating. To identify recommendations for future research and app development, we categorized rater comments on the score driving factors for each item and what the app could have done to improve the score for that item. RESULTS We evaluated 17 apps (41% iOS only, 12% Android only, 47% both iOS and Android). We found that on average, the apps are of minimally acceptable quality. Although we identified apps above and below minimally acceptable quality, many apps had broken features and were rated as below acceptable for engagement and information. CONCLUSIONS Minimally acceptable quality is likely insufficient to meet care partner needs. Future research should establish minimum quality standards across dimensions for mobile apps for care partners. The design features of high-quality apps we identified in this research can provide the foundation for benchmarking those standards.

scholarly journals A Sentiment-Statistical Approach for Identifying Problematic Mobile App Updates Based on User Reviews

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaozhou Li ◽  
Boyang Zhang ◽  
Zheying Zhang ◽  
Kostas Stefanidis
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Maintenance Phase ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
User Reviews ◽  
Google Play

Mobile applications (apps) on IOS and Android devices are mostly maintained and updated via Apple Appstore and Google Play, respectively, where the users are allowed to provide reviews regarding their satisfaction towards particular apps. Despite the importance of user reviews towards mobile app maintenance and evolution, it is time-consuming and ineffective to dissect each individual negative review. In addition, due to the different app update strategies, it is uncertain that each update can be accepted well by the users. This study aims to provide an approach to detect the particular days during the mobile app maintenance phase when the negative reviews require developers’ attention. Furthermore, the method shall facilitate the mapping of the identified abnormal days towards the updates that result in such negativity in reviews. The method’s purpose is to enable app developers to respond swiftly to significant flaws reflected by user reviews in order to prevent user churns.

scholarly journals Usable Mobile App for Community Education on Colorectal Cancer: Development Process and Usability Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhamad Fadhil Mohamad Marzuki ◽  
Nor Azwany Yaacob ◽  
Najib Majdi bin Yaacob ◽  
Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan ◽  
Shahrul Bariyah Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Colorectal Cancer Screening ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Nominal Group ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Google Play

BACKGROUND Participation in colorectal cancer screening is still low among Malaysians despite the increasing trend of incidence, with more than half of the new cases being detected in the advanced stages. Knowledge improvement might increase screening participation and thus improve the chances of disease detection. With the advancement of communication technology, people nowadays prefer to read from their mobile phone using a Web browser or mobile apps compared with the traditional printed material. Therefore, health education and promotion should adapt this behavior change in educating the community. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to document the process of designing and developing a mobile app for community education on colorectal cancer and assess the usability of the prototype. METHODS The nominal group technique (NGT) was used for the content development of the mobile app. NGT involving community educationists and clinicians combined with community representatives as the target users identified relevant health information and communication strategies including features for a user-friendly mobile app. The prototype was developed using framework Ionic 1, based on the Apache Cordova and Angular JS (Google). It was published in the Google Play store. In total, 50 mobile phone users aged 50 years and above and who had never been diagnosed with any type of cancer were invited to download and use the app. They were asked to assess the usability of the app using the validated Malay version of System Usability Scale Questionnaire for the Assessment of Mobile Apps questionnaire. The One-sample t test was used to assess the usability score with a cut-off value of 68 for the usable mobile app. RESULTS The Colorectal Cancer Awareness Application (ColorApp) was successfully developed in the local Malay language. The NGT discussion had suggested 6 main menus in the ColorApp prototype, which are Introduction, Sign and Symptoms, Risk Factors, Preventive Measures, Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, and immunochemical fecal occult blood test kit. A total of 2 additional artificial intelligence properties menus were added to allow user-ColorApp interaction: Analyze Your Status and ColorApp Calculator. The prototype has been published in the Google Play store. The mean usability score was 72 (SD 11.52), which indicates that ColorApp is a usable mobile app, and it can be used as a tool for community education on colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS ColorApp mobile app can be used as a user-friendly tool for community education on colorectal cancer.

scholarly journals Vaping-Related Mobile Apps Available in the Google Play Store After the Apple Ban: Content Review

10.2196/20009 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. e20009
Author(s):  
Meredith C Meacham ◽  
Erin A Vogel ◽  
Johannes Thrul
Keyword(s):  
Rating Scale ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
App Store ◽  
Quit Smoking ◽  
Quitting Smoking ◽  
Do It Yourself ◽  
Content Review ◽  
Google Play

Background In response to health concerns about vaping devices (eg, youth nicotine use, lung injury), Apple removed 181 previously approved vaping-related apps from the App Store in November 2019. This policy change may lessen youth exposure to content that glamorizes vaping; however, it may also block important sources of information and vaping device control for adults seeking to use vaping devices safely. Objective Understanding the types of nicotine and cannabis vaping–related apps still available in the competing Google Play Store can shed light on how digital apps may reflect information available to consumers. Methods In December 2019, we searched the Google Play Store for vaping-related apps using the keywords "vape" and "vaping" and reviewed the first 100 apps presented in the results. We reviewed app titles, descriptions, screenshots, and metadata to categorize the intended substance (nicotine or cannabis/tetrahydrocannabinol) and the app’s purpose. The most installed apps in each purpose category were downloaded and evaluated for quality and usability with the Mobile App Rating Scale. Results Of the first 100 apps, 79 were related to vaping. Of these 79 apps, 43 (54%) were specific to nicotine, 3 (4%) were specific to cannabis, 1 (1%) was intended for either, and for the remaining 31 (39%), the intended substance was unclear. The most common purposes of the apps were making do-it-yourself e-liquids (28/79, 35%) or coils (25/79, 32%), games/entertainment (19/79, 24%), social networking (16/79, 20%), and shopping for vaping products (15/79, 19%). Of the 79 apps, at least 4 apps (5%) paired with vaping devices to control temperature or dose settings, 8 apps (10%) claimed to help people quit smoking using vaping, and 2 apps (3%) had the goal of helping people quit vaping. Conclusions The majority of vaping-related apps in the Google Play Store had features either to help users continue vaping, such as information for modifying devices, or to maintain interest in vaping. Few apps were for controlling device settings or assisting with quitting smoking or vaping. Assuming that these Google Play Store apps were similar in content to the Apple App Store apps that were removed, it appears that Apple’s ban would have a minimal effect on people who vape with the intention of quitting smoking or who are seeking information about safer vaping via mobile apps.

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