ATA, Others Release Digital Health App Assessment Framework

A newly developed framework aims to provide physicians and patients with a process for assessing digital health technologies, including mobile applications and web-based tools.

Released by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), American College of Physicians (ACP), and the Organization for the Review of Care and Health Applications (ORCHA), the Digital Health Assessment Framework is intended to be an open framework, accessible to anyone.

The framework aims to support the adoption of high-quality digital health technologies and help clinicians and patients make informed decisions. It includes four components: data and privacy; clinical assurance and safety; usability and accessibility; and technical security and stability.

"Digital health technologies can offer safe, effective, and engaging access to personalized health and support, and provide more convenient care, improve patient and provider satisfaction, and achieve better clinical outcomes," said Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the ATA in a press release. "There are literally hundreds of health apps and devices for patients and clinicians to choose from, and our goal is to provide confidence that the health and wellness tools reviewed in this framework meet quality, privacy, and clinical assurance criteria in the US."

The framework points to existing regulations in the US and applies several international standards and frameworks, such as the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria and NICE evidence standards framework in the United Kingdom.

The ACP is also launching a pilot test of a digital health apps database reviewed against the framework. Implementing the framework will require reviewing many health apps against it to create diverse libraries of useable tools, according to the news release.

Feedback from the pilot and input from digital health companies, healthcare professionals, consumers, and other stakeholders will be used to improve the framework.

"Leveraging the clinical expertise of ACP members, the technology expertise of the ATA members, and ORCHA's experience in assessing apps to create libraries of high-quality apps, this pilot test has the potential to address the needs of many stakeholders," said Ryan D. Mire, MD, president of the ACP, in the press release. "We look forward to achieving our joint goal through the pilot test to determine how the library can be useful to physicians in recommending high-value digital health tools to their patients, and what other barriers to wider adoption of digital health tools may exist."

The digital health app arena is exploding, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 350,000 health apps are available in various app stores worldwide, of which 90,000 were added in 2020, a Deloitte report shows.

While research has shown these apps can help clinicians identify medical needs and improve care, finding one that is the right fit for patients and their treatment requirements can be a challenge.

A study published last month shows that a rating system that integrates evidence, user experience, and content value could help clinicians make informed decisions about incorporating apps into clinical treatment.