Rating System for Health-Related Smartphone Apps May Be Beneficial

A rating system can help lead clinicians to a smartphone application that can benefit certain patients by winnowing the exhaustive list of available apps down to a few for clinicians to consider, according to a study published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth.

Researchers acknowledge that, in general, user ratings promote a biased and unreliable description of an application. This type of review is also not helpful to clinicians, as they must know whether the mHealth service can fit their needs.

Therefore, researchers created an application rating system that integrated evidence, user experience, and content value into a single system.

The study consisted of an initial review of 248 applications and 6,944 data points. Researchers used this data to create an App Rating Inventory System, which consisted of three categories and 28 items.

The three categories that made up the App Rating Inventory System were evidence with six items, content with 11 items, and customizability with 11 items.

After the system completed the scoring process, researchers used the score to determine whether an app has a high level of validity.

Following three years of use, researchers came to six conclusions about the app rating system: the consideration of popularity is essential, dynamic content brings users to return, the bait and switch method is frequent, apps are not sparse, apps can provide inaccurate information, and mobile apps can improve patient experience.

From their findings, researchers concluded that an app rating system could provide guidance as to which type of app is optimal for a particular clinical case.

The researchers established three steps to take when choosing an app. These steps included querying the market with key search terms, viewing descriptions and ratings, and paying attention to whether the app is evidence-based.

But they also noted that "the decision to recommend apps in clinical settings should be based on a comprehensive algorithm that presents diagnosis, technology literacy, app quality and content, treatment planning, accessibility and cost, and data security. Critically underlying this decision matrix is clinical judgment."

Although the rating system approach can benefit app selection, evidence has shown that the use of mHealth apps is inconsistent among various age groups.

A recent survey from the University of Michigan explained that although older adults could benefit significantly from apps, many are not using them. The survey also showed that those least likely to use health apps had poorly managed health conditions and lower incomes.

Additionally, various studies have described the potential success of health apps.

A study published by CJASN showed that an mHealth app helped improve kidney medication trust and engagement. The app, known as eKidneyCare, connected with pharmacies and allowed chronic kidney disease patients to review medications monthly. Researchers found that 72 percent of patients using the app completed at least one medication review each month.