scholarly journals Quality Assessment Criteria for Mobile Health Apps: A Systematic Review

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.

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

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals The Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG): Delphi-Based Validity Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pere Llorens-Vernet ◽  
Jordi Miró
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Development ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

BACKGROUND In recent years, there has been an exponential growth of mobile health (mHealth)–related apps. This has occurred in a somewhat unsupervised manner. Therefore, having a set of criteria that could be used by all stakeholders to guide the development process and the assessment of the quality of the apps is of most importance. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to study the validity of the Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG), a guide recently created to help stakeholders develop and assess mobile health apps. METHODS To conduct a validation process of the MAG, we used the Delphi method to reach a consensus among participating stakeholders. We identified 158 potential participants: 45 patients as potential end users, 41 health care professionals, and 72 developers. We sent participants an online survey and asked them to rate how important they considered each item in the guide to be on a scale from 0 to 10. Two rounds were enough to reach consensus. RESULTS In the first round, almost one-third (n=42) of those invited participated, and half of those (n=24) also participated in the second round. Most items in the guide were found to be important to a quality mHealth-related app; a total of 48 criteria were established as important. “Privacy,” “security,” and “usability” were the categories that included most of the important criteria. CONCLUSIONS The data supports the validity of the MAG. In addition, the findings identified the criteria that stakeholders consider to be most important. The MAG will help advance the field by providing developers, health care professionals, and end users with a valid guide so that they can develop and identify mHealth-related apps that are of quality.

scholarly journals The Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG): Delphi-Based Validity Study

10.2196/17760 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e17760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pere Llorens-Vernet ◽  
Jordi Miró
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
End Users ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
App Development ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

Background In recent years, there has been an exponential growth of mobile health (mHealth)–related apps. This has occurred in a somewhat unsupervised manner. Therefore, having a set of criteria that could be used by all stakeholders to guide the development process and the assessment of the quality of the apps is of most importance. Objective The aim of this paper is to study the validity of the Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG), a guide recently created to help stakeholders develop and assess mobile health apps. Methods To conduct a validation process of the MAG, we used the Delphi method to reach a consensus among participating stakeholders. We identified 158 potential participants: 45 patients as potential end users, 41 health care professionals, and 72 developers. We sent participants an online survey and asked them to rate how important they considered each item in the guide to be on a scale from 0 to 10. Two rounds were enough to reach consensus. Results In the first round, almost one-third (n=42) of those invited participated, and half of those (n=24) also participated in the second round. Most items in the guide were found to be important to a quality mHealth-related app; a total of 48 criteria were established as important. “Privacy,” “security,” and “usability” were the categories that included most of the important criteria. Conclusions The data supports the validity of the MAG. In addition, the findings identified the criteria that stakeholders consider to be most important. The MAG will help advance the field by providing developers, health care professionals, and end users with a valid guide so that they can develop and identify mHealth-related apps that are of quality.

scholarly journals Mental Health Apps in China: Analysis and Quality Assessment

10.2196/13236 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. e13236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Shang ◽  
Shaoming Wei ◽  
Jianbo Jin ◽  
Puhong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Counseling Services ◽  
Health Apps

Background Mental disorders have been a great burden on health care systems, affecting the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. Developing countries, including China, suffer from the double burden of both the increasing mental health issues in population and the deficiency in mental health care resources. The use of mobile health technologies, especially for mobile phone apps, can be a possible solution. Objective This review aimed to describe the features and assess the quality of mental health apps in major mobile phone app markets in China and further discuss the priorities for mental health app development. Methods Keywords including psychology, psychological health, psychological hygiene, psychological health service(s), mental, mental health, mental hygiene, mental health service(s), depression, and anxiety were searched in Chinese in 3 Android app markets (Baidu Mobile Assistant, Tencent MyApp, and 360 Mobile Assistant) and iOS App Store independently. Mental health apps were then selected according to established criteria for in-depth analysis and quality assessment by the Mobile App Rating Scale. Results In total, 63 of 997 mental health apps were analyzed in depth, of which 78% (49/63) were developed by commercial entities for general population, 17% (11/63) were for patients or clients of specialized psychiatric hospitals or counseling agencies, 3% (2/63) were by government or local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for general information, and 2% (1/63) for students of a university. Major built-in features of the apps included counseling services, mental health education, and self-assessment of mental health status by validated self-rating scales. The overall quality score of the MH apps was acceptable. Conclusions Mental health apps are emerging in the area of mobile health in China. Popular mental health apps usually provide a synthetic platform organizing resources of information, knowledge, counseling services, self-tests, and management for the general population with mental health-related inquiries. The quality of the apps was rated as acceptable on average, suggesting some space for improvement. Official guidelines and regulations are urgently required for the field in the future.

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

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Milne-Ives ◽  
Sophie Homer ◽  
Jackie Andrade ◽  
Edward Meinert
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Systematic Review Protocol ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Health Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Review Protocol

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)

scholarly journals Patient’s Intention to Use Mobile Health App

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tung Siaw Yee ◽  
Lim Chui Seong ◽  
Wong Siew Chin
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Health ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Subjective Norm ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the intention of patients to adopt mobile health apps. The factors selected to conduct this study are perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm. The proposed research model was reviewed and validated using the PLS-SEM with a sample of 300 respondents. The results of this study showed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm could positively affect the patient's intention to use the mobile health app. The results of this study have made it possible to fill the research gap and provide adequate statistical support to the future expansion of research in the field of mobile health app. For practical reasons, these results have also provided researchers, app developers and healthcare providers with valuable information on how to evaluate and develop effective mobile health apps from the users’ perspective.

scholarly journals Mental Health Apps in China: Analysis and Quality Assessment (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Shang ◽  
Shaoming Wei ◽  
Jianbo Jin ◽  
Puhong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Counseling Services ◽  
Health Apps

BACKGROUND Mental disorders have been a great burden on health care systems, affecting the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. Developing countries, including China, suffer from the double burden of both the increasing mental health issues in population and the deficiency in mental health care resources. The use of mobile health technologies, especially for mobile phone apps, can be a possible solution. OBJECTIVE This review aimed to describe the features and assess the quality of mental health apps in major mobile phone app markets in China and further discuss the priorities for mental health app development. METHODS Keywords including <italic>psychology</italic>, <italic>psychological health</italic>, <italic>psychological hygiene</italic>, <italic>psychological health service(s)</italic>, <italic>mental</italic>, <italic>mental health</italic>, <italic>mental hygiene</italic>, <italic>mental health service(s)</italic>, <italic>depression</italic>, and <italic>anxiety</italic> were searched in Chinese in 3 Android app markets (<italic>Baidu Mobile Assistant</italic>, <italic>Tencent MyApp</italic>, and <italic>360 Mobile Assistant</italic>) and iOS App Store independently. Mental health apps were then selected according to established criteria for in-depth analysis and quality assessment by the Mobile App Rating Scale. RESULTS In total, 63 of 997 mental health apps were analyzed in depth, of which 78% (49/63) were developed by commercial entities for general population, 17% (11/63) were for patients or clients of specialized psychiatric hospitals or counseling agencies, 3% (2/63) were by government or local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for general information, and 2% (1/63) for students of a university. Major built-in features of the apps included counseling services, mental health education, and self-assessment of mental health status by validated self-rating scales. The overall quality score of the MH apps was <italic>acceptable.</italic> CONCLUSIONS Mental health apps are emerging in the area of mobile health in China. Popular mental health apps usually provide a synthetic platform organizing resources of information, knowledge, counseling services, self-tests, and management for the general population with mental health-related inquiries. The quality of the apps was rated as <italic>acceptable</italic> on average, suggesting some space for improvement. Official guidelines and regulations are urgently required for the field in the future.

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