Key Features of mHealth Apps & Trends in Use

mHealth applications have become ubiquitous in the healthcare industry, spanning a wide array of disease states and use cases.

There are more than 350,000 health-related apps available on top app stores worldwide, with more than 90,000 new ones introduced in 2020, according to an IQVIA Institute report released in July 2021. The industry has seen massive growth since 2013 when there were only 66,713 apps available to healthcare consumers.

Though about 54 percent of apps available in 2020 were related to fitness, lifestyle, and diet, the remaining focused on health condition management, which indicates a rising demand for clinically focused apps as virtual care grows.

While no two health apps are exactly the same, there are certain overlapping characteristics that are valuable for patients.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

Health tracking and care support

One of the main features of mHealth apps is that they enable patients to take control of their health.

For example, the continuous use of a diabetes management app was associated with better glycemic control than not using the app, a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research shows.

Another study also examining diabetes app use showed that of those who were currently using diabetes apps for self-management of their condition, 21.9 percent with type 1 diabetes reported using their app for calculating insulin doses.

Further, mHealth apps can help patients with medication adherence. Research shows that using an mHealth app, which synced with pharmacies and included a feature that prompted patients to review medications monthly, reduced the medication discrepancy rate for chronic kidney disease patients compared to those who did not use the app. 

Usability

Usability is a crucial feature of mHealth apps, as poor usability can limit patient engagement and chronic disease management.

Usability, which indicates how easy an app is to use, consists of several attributes. One study revealed that satisfaction, which referred to user likability, comfort, and pleasure, was the top-ranked usability attribute for mHealth consumers, followed by learnability and efficiency.

Research also shows that using frameworks to guide mHealth app development can help ensure that it is user-friendly. For example, a study published in 2018 shows how the Stratified View of Health Information Technology (IT) Usability Evaluation Framework was used to examine the potential interactions between the user, task, system, and environment to make sure that usability was assessed at every level of app development.

Health data privacy

mHealth app creators must ensure a high level of data security as third-party apps fall outside HIPAA's purview. Though state and federal government agencies have tried to enforce regulations against health apps that do not adequately inform users about how their data will be used, those are "stop-gap measure(s)," Linda Malek, partner at Moses & Singer and chair of the firm's Healthcare Privacy & Cybersecurity practice group, said in an interview with HealthITSecurity.

Thus, it is up to individual companies developing these apps to ensure that data remains secure.

There is a growing mistrust in the ability of health tech companies to keep health information secure, with an Accenture survey showing more than half of consumers (55 percent) do not trust companies to keep health data safe.

Data transfer and communication with providers

One of the key benefits of mHealth apps is that they enable clinicians to keep track of patients' health metrics between clinic visits.

Research based on 70 studies identified nine key features of app-based interventions, including two-way communication and the uploading of biometric measurements. Two-way communication was found to be more effective at prompting statistically significant patient outcomes than one-way text messaging, according to the analysis.  

Further, 26 studies in the analysis showed that apps included biometric data sharing in combination with other features.

"An essential element of uploading biometric measurements is real-time communication with the patient," the study authors stated. "Accessibility to timely data allows the [healthcare professional] to provide feedback and judicious changes to the health regime to promote improved disease management and prevent costly hospital visits."

Behavior change techniques

Many mHealth apps provide techniques to help users change their lifestyle and health management behaviors. These include reminders, interactive prompts, and personalized health goals.

In an analysis of 69 studies spanning apps that focus on diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer, or a combination of those chronic conditions, researchers found that health apps adopted a median of eight behavior change techniques, most frequently pertaining to the 'feedback and monitoring' (91 percent) and 'shaping knowledge' (72 percent) categories.

But the research also shows that apps may not effectively change health-related behavior. Further research is needed to identify the techniques that most effectively drive behavior change.

USAGE TRENDS

mHealth apps are increasingly focused on health condition management rather than wellness management, according to IQVIA Institute data. Health condition management apps accounted for 47 percent of all apps in 2020, up from 28 percent in 2015.

Most condition management apps focus on chronic conditions, with 22 percent providing support for mental and behavioral health disorders, 15 percent for diabetes, and 10 percent for heart and circulatory system conditions.

But downloads and use of apps are not uniform. A majority of apps (83 percent) are installed fewer than 5,000 times and collectively account for less than 1 percent of total downloads, IQVIA data shows. In comparison, a group of 110 apps have each been downloaded more than 10 million times and account for almost 50 percent of total downloads.

The COVID-19 pandemic drove up app downloads and use, particularly telehealth-related apps. For example, downloads of telemedicine app Doximity surged 38-fold to approximately 7,000 downloads per week on just the Google Play Store during the pandemic, according to the IQVIA Institute.

mHealth app usage also varies by age. About 56 percent of adults aged 50 to 80 years said they have never used a health app, and only 28 percent said they currently use at least one, a survey conducted last August shows.

Of those who have used a health app, about 70 percent reported using it to keep track of their health, 39 percent to get health information, and 25 percent to share health information with their providers.

Providers are also increasingly deploying mHealth apps to enhance care.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio recently announced plans to expand the availability of the WEconnect Recovery app to people in Texas suffering from substance use disorders. The app provides behavioral health and emotional support, including one-on-one peer support and community meetings for specific groups, including women and LGBTQIA2+.

But as mHealth apps proliferate, some researchers believe that a rating system, which integrates evidence, user experience, and content value, may be beneficial as it can help clinicians winnow down the exhaustive list of available apps to a few to consider for patient care.