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 thei...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Digital Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231167007 |
| _version_ | 1797847636244430848 |
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| author | Shirley Quach Adam Benoit Ana Oliveira Tara L. Packham Roger Goldstein Dina Brooks |
| author_facet | Shirley Quach Adam Benoit Ana Oliveira Tara L. Packham Roger Goldstein Dina Brooks |
| author_sort | Shirley Quach |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T18:14:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7c1fcafc98f64a34b97698b3bc8eda57 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-2076 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T18:14:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-7c1fcafc98f64a34b97698b3bc8eda572023-04-13T05:33:27ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762023-04-01910.1177/20552076231167007Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseShirley Quach0Adam Benoit1Ana Oliveira2Tara L. Packham3Roger Goldstein4Dina Brooks5 Respiratory Research, , Toronto, Canada Respiratory Research, , Toronto, Canada Lab3R – Respiratory Research and Rehabilitation Laboratory, , Aveiro, Portugal School of Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Respiratory Research, , Toronto, CanadaMobile 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.https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231167007 |
| spellingShingle | Shirley Quach Adam Benoit Ana Oliveira Tara L. Packham Roger Goldstein Dina Brooks Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Digital Health |
| title | Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| title_full | Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| title_fullStr | Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| title_full_unstemmed | Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| title_short | Features and characteristics of publicly available mHealth apps for self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| title_sort | features and characteristics of publicly available mhealth apps for self management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231167007 |
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