What makes a good health 'app'? Identifying the strengths and limitations of existing mobile application evaluation tools

Understanding the effectiveness and design of parent-oriented mobile health interventions: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

Parents of children with a health condition experience high levels of distress which can have long-term impact on the child and parent. Dyadic interventions have the potential to decrease this distress, however several barriers to access including time constraints have been reported. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions can address several of these barriers.

GOAL

The goal of this systematic review was to review and synthesize the literature examining the effects of parent-oriented mHealth interventions and their content and design.

METHODS

We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Central databases from January 2013 to 2023 using a search strategy based on telemedicine and parents/caregivers. Included studies were randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of parent-oriented mHealth interventions on child and parent health. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess for bias in studies. Trial details and design and content features of interventions were extracted. Outcomes were organized using the Van Houtven's Framework for Informal Caregiver Interventions. Results are presented narratively.

RESULTS

Fifty papers pertaining to 49 unique studies met our inclusion criteria. More than half of the studies scored high-risk for bias. Interventions targeted a wide range of pediatric conditions. Intervention type included texting (n = 17) and investigator-developed mobile applications (n = 16). Interventions significantly improved parent psychological health and child health outcomes. Key intervention features and design included the use/application of codesign and a theory-driven intervention.

CONCLUSION

Parent-oriented mHealth interventions identified in this review significantly improved both parent and child health outcomes. Therefore, these interventions have the potential to support parents outside of a clinical setting.

Development and usability testing of an integrated geriatric care model (SMART system) to promote integrated home-based geriatric care

BACKGROUND

Although integrated care has been proposed as a promising approach to the challenges of fragmented geriatric care, a universally accepted implementation framework for integrated care for older adults living at home remains elusive. This study aimed to address the gap by developing an integrated geriatric care model (SMART system) using a knowledge-based clinical decision support system (CDSS) architecture inspired by the principle of neural reflex and evaluate the usability of the SMART system.

METHODS

The development of our SMART system was guided by the knowledge-based Clinical Decision Support System architecture and the principle of neural reflexes, which included 5 phases: (1) functional design; (2) architecture and database design; (3) security measures design; (4) user interface and visualization design; (5) prototypes development and iteratively testing. Subsequently, a cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021, collecting older Chinese adults aged 60 years old and above consecutively to evaluate their usability perception of the Care Receiver App within the SMART system via the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES) version designed for older adults.

RESULTS

The SMART system consisted of a Care Receiver App, a Professional Care Provider App, and a Cloud Platform. According to the assessment results and daily monitoring data, the SMART system can diagnose care problems and tailor interventions and implementation approaches to address the multifaceted care needs of older individuals. The personalized interventions and implementation approaches generated by the SMART system, after being reviewed and adjusted by professional geriatric nurses, will be sent to the corresponding care providers to facilitate coordinated care services. A total of 110 eligible older individuals were included in the usability testing. The Care Receiver App was perceived as useful and acceptable among older individuals with the mean scores for each item of the Health-ITUES version designed for older adults exceeding 3.00.

CONCLUSIONS

This study successfully developed an integrated geriatric care model using a knowledge-based CDSS architecture inspired by the principle of neural reflex. Furthermore, the study indicated acceptable usability perception of the SMART system among older population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR-IOR-17010368) on 12/01/2017.

Nurse-led remote digital support for adults with chronic conditions: A systematic synthesis without meta-analysis

AIM

The systematic review aims to synthesize the literature examining the effectiveness of nurse-led remote digital support on health outcomes in adults with chronic conditions.

BACKGROUND

Adults with chronic diseases have increased rates of mortality and morbidity and use health care resources at a higher intensity than those without chronic conditions-placing strain on the patient, their caregivers and health systems. Nurse-led digital health disease self-management interventions have potential to improve outcomes for patients with chronic conditions by facilitating care in environments other that the hospital setting.

DESIGN AND METHODS

We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and Cochrane Central databases from inception to 7 December 2022. We included randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of nurse-led remote digital support interventions compared to usual care on health-related outcomes in adults with chronic illness. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess bias in studies. Outcomes were organized into four categories: self-management, clinical outcomes, health care resource use and satisfaction with care. Results are presented narratively based on statistical significance.

RESULTS

Forty-four papers pertaining to 40 unique studies were included. Interventions most targeted diabetes (n = 11) and cardiovascular disease (n = 8). Websites (n = 10) and mobile applications (n = 10) were the most used digital modalities. Nurses supported patients either in response to incoming patient health data (n = 14), virtual appointment (n = 8), virtual health education (n = 5) or through a combination of these approaches (n = 13). Positive impacts of nurse-led digital chronic disease support were identified in each outcome category. Mobile applications were the most effective digital modality.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Results show that nurse-led remote digital support interventions significantly improve self-management capacity, clinical health outcomes, health care resource use and satisfaction with care. Such interventions have potential to support overall health for adults with chronic conditions in their home environments.

Development and pre-evaluation of a "DiagNurse" mobile app to support nurses in clinical diagnosis using the ADDIE model

Healthcare workers are increasingly utilising cutting-edge technology, including mobile apps, to enhance patient health care and ensure efficient professional performance. The aim of this study was to design, develop and evaluate an educational mobile app dedicated towards being employed by nursing students and practicing nurses to support the clinical assessment of a patient's health condition in nursing care. In order to develop the mobile app, the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation (ADDIE) model was employed. Between 2022 and 2023, a "Diagnostic Nurse" mobile app was developed in the "Android Application Package (APK)." The app's usability was tested in the laboratory by 20 participants. Three methods were employed in the study, that is, an eye-tracking technique, a qualitative evaluation and a quantitative evaluation. According to the System Usability Scale (SUS), the app test score for the nursing student group was assessed as 83.3 ± 8.9, and for the practicing nursing group, this was 84 ± 12.7. These results indicate that the mobile app's is highly usable. The app received high ratings in the "user-friendliness", "ease-of-use", and "user satisfaction" categories. The "DiagNurse" app makes it easier to learn how to conduct a clinical assessment of a patient's condition in nursing care, resulting in better information acquisition, assessment accuracy and speed. Given the low cost of the app development and the ADDIE model on which it is based, the app may be beneficial to nursing students, practicing nurses and other health-care professionals and students.

Smartphone Apps for Pulmonary Hypertension: Systematic Search and Content Evaluation

Background

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a chronic and complex condition, requiring consistent management and education. The widespread use of smartphones has opened possibilities for mobile health apps to support both patients and health care professionals in monitoring and managing PH more effectively.

Objective

This study aimed to identify and assess the quality of free smartphone apps for PH targeted at either patients or health care professionals.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted on freely available apps for patients with PH and health care professionals, accessed from a Spanish IP address, on Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) platforms. Searches were performed in October 2022 and 2023. Apps were independently analyzed by two reviewers, focusing on general characteristics. Quality assessment was based on the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) framework, and Mann-Whitney U tests compared mean MARS scores against specific variables.

Results

In the overall study, 21 apps were identified. In the 2022 search, 19 apps were listed (9 iOS, 7 Android, 3 available on both platforms). In the subsequent 2023 search, 16 apps were identified (6 Android, 7 iOS, 3 available on both platforms). Of those identified in 2022, 14 remained available in 2023, with only 7 updated since 2022. In addition, 12 apps targeted patients or the general population, while 9 targeted health care professionals; none involved patients in the development or design. Conversely, 13 apps involving health care professionals were identified. There were 10 apps that received pharmaceutical industry funding. The primary goal for 81% (17/21) of the apps was to disseminate general information about PH. The overall mean MARS quality was acceptable in 2022 and 2023, with mean ratings of 3.1 (SD 0.6) and 3.3 (SD 0.5), respectively. The functionality category achieved the highest scores in both years, indicating ease of use and intuitive navigation. In contrast, the subjective quality domain consistently received the lowest ratings in the MARS assessment across both years. None of the apps underwent clinical testing themselves; however, 2 incorporated tools or algorithms derived from trials. The overall quality of iOS apps statistically outperformed that of Android apps in both years (P<.05). Furthermore, the involvement of health care professionals in app development was associated with enhanced quality, a trend observed in both years (P=.003 for both years).

Conclusions

This review of mobile health apps for PH reveals their emergent development stage, with generally acceptable quality but lacking refinement. It highlights the critical role of health care professionals in app development, as they contribute significantly to quality and reliability. Despite this, a notable stagnation in app quality and functionality improvement over 2 years points to a need for continuous innovation and clinical validation for effective clinical integration. This research advocates for future app developers to actively engage with health care professionals, integrate patient insights, and mandate rigorous clinical validation for PH management.

Development and Validation of an Evaluation Questionnaire for the Healthy Early Life Moments in Singapore (HELMS) Program

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Global fertility rates are declining due to metabolic and mental health challenges in women trying to conceive. The Healthy Early Life Moments in Singapore (HELMS) program aims to address these challenges through mobile health (mHealth)-enabled lifestyle interventions. However, the lack of validated evaluation tools for such programs makes it difficult to assess their feasibility and acceptability. To tackle this, a comprehensive evaluation questionnaire was developed and validated to determine if the HELMS preconception program's implementation outcomes were achieved.

METHODS

The questionnaire development process included a literature review and a two-step validation process: content validation by five content experts and face validation by 20 HELMS participants. Content validation was assessed using the scale content validity index (S-CVI) based on relevance, clarity, simplicity, and ambiguity. Face validation with participants evaluated these criteria and the ease of completing the questionnaire. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha among 49 participants.

RESULTS

The questionnaire achieved good S-CVI values for relevance (0.93), clarity (0.91), simplicity (0.94), and ambiguity (0.71). After expert feedback, the revised version scored highly among HELMS participants for relevance (100%), clarity (95%), simplicity (95%), and non-ambiguity (90%). A Cronbach's alpha of 0.93 indicated good internal consistency.

CONCLUSION

The HELMS evaluation questionnaire shows promise for evaluating similar mHealth-based lifestyle intervention programs globally.

Quality assessment of mHealth apps: a scoping review

Introduction

The number of mHealth apps has increased rapidly during recent years. Literature suggests a number of problems and barriers to the adoption of mHealth apps, including issues such as validity, usability, as well as data privacy and security. Continuous quality assessment and assurance systems might help to overcome these barriers. Aim of this scoping review was to collate literature on quality assessment tools and quality assurance systems for mHealth apps, compile the components of the tools, and derive overarching quality dimensions, which are potentially relevant for the continuous quality assessment of mHealth apps.

Methods

Literature searches were performed in Medline, EMBASE and PsycInfo. Articles in English or German language were included if they contained information on development, application, or validation of generic concepts of quality assessment or quality assurance of mHealth apps. Screening and extraction were carried out by two researchers independently. Identified quality criteria and aspects were extracted and clustered into quality dimensions.

Results

A total of 70 publications met inclusion criteria. Included publications contain information on five quality assurance systems and further 24 quality assessment tools for mHealth apps. Of these 29 systems/tools, 8 were developed for the assessment of mHealth apps for specific diseases, 16 for assessing mHealth apps for all fields of health and another five are not restricted to health apps. Identified quality criteria and aspects were extracted and grouped into a total of 14 quality dimensions, namely "information and transparency", "validity and (added) value", "(medical) safety", "interoperability and compatibility", "actuality", "engagement", "data privacy and data security", "usability and design", "technology", "organizational aspects", "social aspects", "legal aspects", "equity and equality", and "cost(-effectiveness)".

Discussion

This scoping review provides a broad overview of existing quality assessment and assurance systems. Many of the tools included cover only a few dimensions and aspects and therefore do not allow for a comprehensive quality assessment or quality assurance. Our findings can contribute to the development of continuous quality assessment and assurance systems for mHealth apps.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.researchprotocols.org/2022/7/e36974/, International Registered Report Identifier, IRRID (DERR1-10.2196/36974).

Nurses' Roles in mHealth App Development: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Although mobile health (mHealth) apps for both health consumers and health care providers are increasingly common, their implementation is frequently unsuccessful when there is a misalignment between the needs of the user and the app's functionality. Nurses are well positioned to help address this challenge. However, nurses' engagement in mHealth app development remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aims to determine the extent of the evidence of the role of nurses in app development, delineate developmental phases in which nurses are involved, and to characterize the type of mHealth apps nurses are involved in developing.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review following the 6-stage methodology. We searched 14 databases to identify publications on the role of nurses in mHealth app development and hand searched the reference lists of relevant publications. Two independent researchers performed all screening and data extraction, and a third reviewer resolved any discrepancies. Data were synthesized and grouped by the Software Development Life Cycle phase, and the app functionality was described using the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics functionality scoring system.

RESULTS

The screening process resulted in 157 publications being included in our analysis. Nurses were involved in mHealth app development across all stages of the Software Development Life Cycle but most frequently participated in design and prototyping, requirements gathering, and testing. Nurses most often played the role of evaluators, followed by subject matter experts. Nurses infrequently participated in software development or planning, and participation as patient advocates, research experts, or nurse informaticists was rare.

CONCLUSIONS

Although nurses were represented throughout the preimplementation development process, nurses' involvement was concentrated in specific phases and roles.

Design and development of a mobile-based self-care application for patients with depression and anxiety disorders

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Depression and anxiety can cause social, behavioral, occupational, and functional impairments if not controlled and managed. Mobile-based self-care applications can play an essential and effective role in controlling and reducing the effects of anxiety disorders and depression. The aim of this study was to design and develop a mobile-based self-care application for patients with depression and anxiety disorders with the goal of enhancing their mental health and overall well-being.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study we designed a mobile-based application for self -management of depression and anxiety disorders. In order to design this application, first the education- informational needs and capabilities were identified through a systematic review. Then, according to 20 patients with depression and anxiety, this education-informational needs and application capabilities were approved. In the next step, the application was designed.

RESULTS

In the first step, 80 education-information needs and capabilities were identified. Finally, in the second step, of 80 education- informational needs and capabilities, 68 needs and capabilities with a mean greater than and equal to 3.75 (75%) were considered in application design. Disease control and management, drug management, nutrition and diet management, recording clinical records, communicating with physicians and other patients, reminding appointments, how to improve lifestyle, quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption, educational content, sedation instructions, introducing health care centers for depression and anxiety treatment and recording activities, personal goals and habits in a diary were the most important features of this application.

CONCLUSION

The designed application can encourage patients with depression and stress to perform self-care processes and access necessary information without searching the Internet.

Heuristic smartphone usability evaluations of the mobile application NANDA, nursing interventions classification, and nursing outcomes classification customized for nursing home registered nurses

PURPOSE

We aimed to evaluate the usability of a smartphone application consisting of standardized nursing language (SNL) using NANDA, Nursing Intervention Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification for nursing home nurses.

DATA SOURCES

Applying convenience sampling, a total of 14 experts and 15 real users were invited to test and evaluate the smartphone application independently. For the usability evaluation of the developed application, the Korean version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale for experts and Mobile Application Rating Scale: User Version developed by Stoyanov et al. were used.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Both groups determined that the SNL application was quite informative about SNL and efficient function; however, the engagement was quite lower than other categories.

CONCLUSIONS

Although SNLs were scientifically developed for several decades, the widely available technological application for registered nurses in different languages is urgently needed to improve quality of nursing care.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

The identified problems and recommendations by users and experts using heuristic evaluation will be reflected in the application's final version to be used for research.

Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) may be able to support people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to develop the appropriate skills and routines for adequate self-management. Given the wide variety of publicly available mHealth apps, it is important to be aware of their characteristics to optimize their use and mitigate potential harms.

Objective

To report the characteristics and features of publicly available apps for COPD self-management.

Methods

MHealth apps designed for patients' COPD self-management were searched in the Google Play and Apple app stores. Two reviewers trialed and assessed the eligible apps using the MHealth Index and Navigation Database framework to describe the characteristics, qualities, and features of mHealth apps across five domains.

Results

From the Google Play and Apple stores, thirteen apps were identified and eligible for further evaluation. All thirteen apps were available for Android devices, but only seven were available for Apple devices. Most apps were developed by for-profit organizations (8/13), non-profit organizations (2/13), and unknown developers (3/13). Many apps had privacy policies (9/13), but only three apps described their security systems and two mentioned compliance with local health information and data usage laws. Education was the common app feature; additional features were medication reminders, symptom tracking, journaling, and action planning. None provided clinical evidence to support their use.

Conclusions

Publicly available COPD apps vary in their designs, features, and overall quality. These apps lack evidence to support their clinical use and cannot be recommended at this time.

Developing and pre-testing a digital decision-tree smartphone application for smoking prevention and cessation among HIV care providers

Objectives

The diagnosis and continuous care of chronic conditions such as HIV infection present potential teachable moments for delivering smoking prevention and cessation interventions for patients. We designed and pre-tested a prototype of a smartphone application(app), Decision-T, specifically designed to assist healthcare providers when providing personalized smoking prevention and cessation services to their patients.

Methods

We developed the Decision-T app based on transtheoretical algorithm for smoking prevention and cessation following the 5-A's model. We employed a mixed-methods approach among 18 HIV-care providers recruited from Houston Metropolitan Area for pre-testing the app. Each provider participated in three mock sessions, and the average time spent at each session was measured. We measured accuracy by comparing the smoking prevention and cessation treatment offered by the HIV-care provider using the app to that chosen by the tobacco specialist who designed the case. The system usability scale (SUS) was used to assess usability quantitatively , while individual interview transcripts were analyzed to determine usability qualitatively. STATA-17/SE and Nvivo-V12 were used for quantitative and qualitative analysis, respectively.

Results

The average time for completing each mock session was 5 min 17 s. The participants achieved an overall average accuracy of 89.9%. The average SUS score achieved was 87.5(±10.26). After analyzing the transcripts, five themes (app's contents are beneficial and straightforward, design is easy to understand, user's experience is uncomplicated, tech is intuitive, and app needs improvements) emerged.

Conclusions

The decision-T app can potentially increase HIV-care providers' engagement in offering smoking prevention and cessation behavioral and pharmacotherapy recommendations to their patients briefly and accurately.

Addressing and evaluating health literacy in mHealth: a scoping review

Background

Recent surveys have revealed many adults have basic or below basic health literacy, which is linked to medical errors, increased illness, and compromised public health. Health literacy as a concept is multi-faceted extending beyond the individual to include social structures and the context in which health information is being accessed. Delivering health information via mobile devices (mHealth) expands the amount of information available while presenting challenges to ensuring these materials are suitable for a variety of literacy needs. The aims of this study are to discover how health literacy is addressed and evaluated in mHealth app development.

Methods

A scoping review of 5 peer-reviewed databases was conducted. Eligible articles were written in English, addressed general literacy or mHealth/digital/eHealth literacy, and collected literacy information in order to incorporate literacy into the design and/or modification of an app or collected literacy information to describe the population being studied. The "Health Literacy Online" (HLO) United States (U.S.) government guide was used as a framework.

Results

Thirty-two articles were reviewed. Articles included health literacy recommendations for all HLO categories and some recommendations not aligned with these categories. Most articles addressed health literacy using specific HLO categories though none incorporated every HLO category. The most common categories addressed engagement and testing of mHealth content. Though several studies addressed health literacy through a formal assessment tool, most did not. Evaluation of health literacy in mHealth was end-user focused and did not extensively evaluate content for fit to a variety of individuals with limited health literacy.

Conclusions

The recommendations seen consistently in our results in conjunction with formal HLO categories can act as beginning steps towards development of a health literacy evaluation tool for mHealth apps themselves. It is clear efforts are being made to reduce barriers to using mHealth for those with literacy deficits, however, it was also clear that this space has room to be more pragmatic in evaluation of mHealth tools for literacy. End user engagement in design and testing is necessary in future mHealth literacy tool development.

Smartphone Apps for Patients With Hematologic Malignancies: Systematic Review and Evaluation of Content

BACKGROUND

Hematological malignancies (HMs) are a heterogeneous group of cancers representing a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The chronification of HMs and the increasing use of smartphones may lead patients to seek their current unmet needs through mobile health apps.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this review was to identify and assess the quality of smartphone apps aimed at patients diagnosed with HMs.

METHODS

A systematic search of apps that were aimed at patients diagnosed with HMs, accessed from a Spain IP address, and were available on the iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) platforms was conducted in November 2021. The search terms used were "hematology," "blood cancer," "leukemia," "lymphoma," and "myeloma" apps in English, Spanish, or both languages. The identified apps were downloaded and analyzed independently by 2 reviewers. Information about general app characteristics was collected. The Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) was used to assess quality. The resulting parameter of the analyses, the mean score of the apps, was compared by Student t test.

RESULTS

Overall, 18 apps were identified; 7 were available on Android, 5 were available on iOS, and 6 were available on both platforms. All included apps were free; 3 were published in 2021, and among the apps published before 2021, only 6 were updated in 2021. Most (16/18, 89%) of the apps were aimed at patients with leukemia or lymphoma (16). The primary purposes of the apps were to provide general information about the condition (16/18, 89%) and monitor symptoms and clinical parameters (11/18, 61%). Health care professionals contributed to the development of 50% (9/18) of apps; 6 were owned and supported by scientific societies, and 3 were developed with the participation of health care professionals. The mean MARS score for the overall quality of the apps was 3.1 (SD 1.0). The engagement and aesthetics subscales were the lowest rated subscales, with only 44% (8/18) and 67% (12/18), respectively, of the apps obtaining acceptable scores. None of the included apps proved clinical efficacy through clinical trials in patients with HMs. Statistically significant differences were found in the MARS scores between operating systems (+1.0, P=.003) in favor of iOS apps. The participation of health care professionals in the development of the apps did not have a statistically significant impact on the MARS scores.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic search and evaluation identified few acceptable quality mobile apps for patients with HMs. Current and future apps for patients with HMs should provide evidence-based valuable information, improve user engagement, incorporate functions according to patient preferences, and generate evidence regarding the efficacy of app use by patients with HMs.

mHealth Interventions to Reduce Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behavior in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background

Children and adolescents increasingly do not meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. Hence, insufficient PA (IPA) and sedentary behavior (SB) among children and adolescents are relevant behavior change domains for using individualized mobile health (mHealth) interventions.

Objective

This review and meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of mHealth interventions on IPA and SB, with a special focus on the age and level of individualization.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials published between January 2000 and March 2021. mHealth interventions for primary prevention in children and adolescents addressing behavior change related to IPA and SB were included. Included studies were compared for content characteristics and methodological quality and summarized narratively. In addition, a meta-analysis with a subsequent exploratory meta-regression examining the moderating effects of age and individualization on overall effectiveness was performed.

Results

On the basis of the inclusion criteria, 1.3% (11/828) of the preliminary identified studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, and 1.2% (10/828) were included in the meta-analysis. Trials included a total of 1515 participants (mean age (11.69, SD 0.788 years; 65% male and 35% female) self-reported (3/11, 27%) or device-measured (8/11, 73%) health data on the duration of SB and IPA for an average of 9.3 (SD 5.6) weeks. Studies with high levels of individualization significantly decreased insufficient PA levels (Cohen d=0.33; 95% CI 0.08-0.58; Z=2.55; P=.01), whereas those with low levels of individualization (Cohen d=−0.06; 95% CI −0.32 to 0.20; Z=0.48; P=.63) or targeting SB (Cohen d=−0.11; 95% CI −0.01 to 0.23; Z=1.73; P=.08) indicated no overall significant effect. The heterogeneity of the studies was moderate to low, and significant subgroup differences were found between trials with high and low levels of individualization (χ21=4.0; P=.04; I2=75.2%). Age as a moderator variable showed a small effect; however, the results were not significant, which might have been because of being underpowered.

Conclusions

Evidence suggests that mHealth interventions for children and adolescents can foster moderate reductions in IPA but not SB. Moreover, individualized mHealth interventions to reduce IPA seem to be more effective for adolescents than for children. Although, to date, only a few mHealth studies have addressed inactive and sedentary young people, and their quality of evidence is moderate, these findings indicate the relevance of individualization on the one hand and the difficulties in reducing SB using mHealth interventions on the other.

Trial Registration

PROSPERO CRD42020209417; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=209417

A large-scale group decision making method to select the ideal mobile health application for the hospital

Mobile health, which is not limited by time and space, can effectively alleviate the imbalance of medical resources. Currently, more and more hospitals begin to pay attention to online medical care and actively expand their mobile channels. Among of which, the cooperation with the third-party platform is an effective way to expand the online services of most hospitals. With the increasing number of mobile health applications (mHealth apps), it is difficult to select the ideal application. Most of the existing studies on mHealth app selection are conducted from the perspective of users who have health needs, which is insufficient. The views of multiple stakeholders should be taken into account. mHealth app selection can be regarded as a large-scale group decision making (LSGDM) problem. In this paper, a hybrid LSGDM method is proposed to select the mHealth app with the highest user satisfaction. First, the weights of criteria are obtained based on quality function deployment and 2-additive measure. Furthermore, a consensus model that considers cooperative and non-cooperative behaviors of decision makers is applied to select the ideal mHealth app. Finally, an illustrative example is implemented to exhibit the utility and validity of the proposed model.

An Intelligent Individualized Cardiovascular App for Risk Elimination (iCARE) for Individuals With Coronary Heart Disease: Development and Usability Testing Analysis

Background

Death and disability from coronary heart disease (CHD) can be largely reduced by improving risk factor management. However, adhering to evidence-based recommendations is challenging and requires interventions at the level of the patient, provider, and health system.

Objective

The aim of this study was to develop an Intelligent Individualized Cardiovascular App for Risk Elimination (iCARE) to facilitate adherence to health behaviors and preventive medications, and to test the usability of iCARE.

Methods

We developed iCARE based on a user-centered design approach, which included 4 phases: (1) function design, (2) iterative design, (3) expert inspections and walkthroughs of the prototypes, and (4) usability testing with end users. The usability testing of iCARE included 2 stages: stage I, which included a task analysis and a usability evaluation (January to March 2019) of the iCARE patient app using the modified Health Information Technology Usability Survey (Health-ITUES); and stage II (June 2020), which used the Health-ITUES among end users who used the app for 6 months. The end users were individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of CHD from 2 university-affiliated hospitals in Beijing, China.

Results

iCARE consists of a patient app, a care provider app, and a cloud platform. It has a set of algorithms that trigger tailored feedback and can send individualized interventions based on data from initial assessment and health monitoring via manual entry or wearable devices. For stage I usability testing, 88 hospitalized patients (72% [63/88] male; mean age 60 [SD 9.9] years) with CHD were included in the study. The mean score of the usability testing was 90.1 (interquartile range 83.3-99.0). Among enrolled participants, 90% (79/88) were satisfied with iCARE; 94% (83/88) and 82% (72/88) reported that iCARE was useful and easy to use, respectively. For stage II usability testing, 61 individuals with CHD (85% [52/61] male; mean age 53 [SD 8.2] years) who were from an intervention arm and used iCARE for at least six months were included. The mean total score on usability testing based on the questionnaire was 89.0 (interquartile distance: 77.0-99.5). Among enrolled participants, 89% (54/61) were satisfied with the use of iCARE, 93% (57/61) perceived it as useful, and 70% (43/61) as easy to use.

Conclusions

This study developed an intelligent, individualized, evidence-based, and theory-driven app (iCARE) to improve patients’ adherence to health behaviors and medication management. iCARE was identified to be highly acceptable, useful, and easy to use among individuals with a diagnosis of CHD.

Trial Registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-INR-16010242; https://tinyurl.com/2p8bkrew

Exploring Perceptions of Technology Use to Support Self-Management Among Older Adults with Cancer and Multimorbidities

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to explore and describe how older adults engage with technology to support cancer self-management behaviors, particularly as they live with multimorbidity.

DATA SOURCES

We used a qualitative descriptive approach and semi-structured interviews with older adults with cancer who had at least one other chronic condition. Two authors analyzed the data using a descriptive thematic analysis approach using NVivo 12 software.

CONCLUSION

We found that older adults are interested in, if not already, engaging with technology and internet searching to manage their cancer diagnosis and treatment. Data were grouped into three themes: (1) Using technology to take control; (2) Confidence in technology supports competence in self-management; and (3) Desired features for future interventions. Participants felt they might need extra support learning how to craft a search, filter facts, and digest information from the internet to manage their cancer. Those who reported using technology to keep records about their health made more statements reflecting confidence in their technology usage.

IMPLICATION FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Older adults are interested in engaging technology to support self-management. The specific implications that arise from this study are that (1) older adults' interest in engaging with technology has a unique potential to support foundations for self-management behaviors and activities and (2) empowering self-management behaviors and attitudes through technology may result in better treatment outcomes, as evidenced by increased capabilities in the six core self-management skills.

Individualized mobile health interventions for cardiovascular event prevention in patients with coronary heart disease: study protocol for the iCARE randomized controlled trial

Background

Mobile health-based individualized interventions have shown potential effects in managing cardiovascular risk factors. This study aims to assess whether or not mHealth based individualized interventions delivered by an Individualized Cardiovascular Application system for Risk Elimination (iCARE) could reduce the incidence of major cardiovascular events in individuals with coronary heart disease.

Methods

This study is a large-scale, multi-center, parallel-group, open-label, randomized controlled clinical trial. This study will be conducted from September 2019 to December 2025. A total of 2820 patients with coronary heart disease will be recruited from two clinical sites and equally randomized into three groups: the intervention group and two control groups. All participants will be informed of six-time points (at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after discharge) for follow-up visits. Over a course of 36 months, patients who are randomized to the intervention arm will receive individualized interventions delivered by a fully functional iCARE that using various visualization methods such as comics, videos, pictures, text to provide individualized interventions in addition to standard care. Patients randomized to control group 1 will receive interventions delivered by a modified iCARE that only presented in text in addition to routine care. Control group 2 will only receive routine care. The primary outcome is the incidence of major cardiovascular events within 3 years of discharge. Main secondary outcomes include changes in health behaviors, medication adherence, and cardiovascular health score.

Discussion

If the iCARE trial indeed demonstrates positive effects on patients with coronary heart disease, it will provide empirical evidence for supporting secondary preventive care in this population. Results will inform the design of future research focused on mHealth-based, theory-driven, intelligent, and individualized interventions for cardiovascular risk management.

Trial registration

Trial registered 24th December 2016 with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-INR-16010242). URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=17398.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-021-02153-9.

Perceptions of Endocrine Therapy in African-American Breast Cancer Survivors: Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

Although the incidence of breast cancer is lower in African-American women than in White women, African-American women have a decreased survival rate. The difference in survival rate may stem from poor endocrine therapy adherence, which increases breast cancer recurrence. Therefore, accessible and culturally sensitive interventions to increase endocrine therapy adherence are necessary.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this concurrent convergent mixed methods study was to provide further data to guide the development of the proposed culturally sensitive mHealth app, STORY+ for African-American women with breast cancer.

METHODS

We recruited 20 African-American women diagnosed with estrogen-positive breast cancer and currently prescribed endocrine therapy. We used a concurrent convergent data collection method to (1) assess the use of smartphones and computers related to health care and (2) identify foundational aspects to support endocrine therapy adherence for incorporation in a mobile health app.

RESULTS

Overwhelmingly, the participants preferred using smartphones to using computers for health care. Communicating with health care providers and pharmacies was the most frequent health care use of smartphones, followed by exercise tracking, and accessing the patient portal. We identified 4 aspects of adherence to endocrine therapy and smartphone use for incorporation in app development. The factors that emerged from the integrated qualitative and quantitative data were (1) willingness to use, (2) side effects, (3) social connection, and (4) beliefs about endocrine therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is needed to develop a culturally sensitive app for African-American women with breast cancer to improve adherence to endocrine therapy. Our work strongly suggests that this population would use the app to connect with other African-American breast cancer survivors and manage endocrine therapy.

Mobile apps for dementia awareness, support, and prevention - review and evaluation

PURPOSE

This review aimed to document the characteristics and appraise the quality of dementia applications (apps) to support persons living with dementia and their caregivers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Systematic searches of the Australian-based Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and relevant websites sought apps with dementia or Alzheimer's information, support for caregivers and persons living with dementia, or prevention content. Apps were screened and subsequently appraised via the mobile application review system (MARS).

RESULTS

The majority of the final 75 dementia apps were free to download, but were only available on a single platform. Persons involved in caregiving were the primary audience. App content focused on dementia information, practical caregiving, and communication tips. Language options in addition to English were limited and few apps offered ongoing support. MARS appraisal identified few apps with good "Overall Quality" scores. Apps that were more comprehensive trended towards higher MARS scores.

CONCLUSIONS

A composite lack of standardised quality indicators and commercial drivers of the marketplace present significant barriers for consumers seeking meaningful dementia information and support. Persons living with dementia and their caregivers would significantly benefit from social and organisational services that assist with navigating the app marketplace.Implications for rehabilitationThere is significant opportunity for quality digital innovations, including apps, to support home-based, independent dementia care.A composite lack of standardised quality indicators and commercial drivers of the app marketplace present significant barriers for persons living with dementia and their caregivers who seek apps with dementia information and support.Social and organisational services can support the dementia community through assistance with navigating the app marketplace for quality dementia information and support.

Improved readability and functions needed for mHealth apps targeting patients with heart failure: An app store review

To maintain their quality of life and avoid hospitalization and early mortality, patients with heart failure must recognize and respond to symptoms of exacerbation. A promising method for engaging patients in their self-care is through mobile health applications (mHealth apps). However, for mHealth to have its greatest chance for improving patient outcomes, the app content must be readable, provide useful functions and be based in evidence. The study aimed to determine: (1) readability, (2) types of functions, and (3) linkage to authoritative sources of evidence for self-care focused mHealth apps targeting heart failure patients that are available in the Apple and Google Play Stores. We systematically searched for mHealth apps targeting patients with heart failure in the Apple and Google Play Stores and applied selection criteria. Readability of randomly selected informational paragraphs were determined using Flesch-Kincaid grade level test tool in Microsoft Word. Ten mHealth apps met our criteria. Only one had a reading grade level at or below the recommended 6th grade reading level (average 9.35). The most common functions were tracking, clinical data feedback, and non-data-based reminders and alerts. Only three had statements that clearly linked the mHealth app content to trustworthy, evidence-based sources. Only two had interoperability with the electronic health record and only one had a communication feature with clinicians. Future mHealth designs that are tailored to patients' literacy level and have advanced functions may hold greater potential for improving patient outcomes.