Background: Recent studies estimate 55% of Americans own a smartphone. There are over 29,000 medical applications (apps) available in the US iTunes® store. However, no systematic data are available on apps focused on stroke survivors/caregivers. Objective: To identify apps (a) designed for stroke survivors/caregivers, (b) dealing with a modifiable stroke risk factor (SRF), or (c) were developed for other purposes but could potentially be used by stroke survivors/caregivers. Methods: A systematic review of the medical apps in the US Apple iTunes store was conducted using 16 pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Apps intended for healthcare professionals were excluded. All eligible apps were entered into a database with features (e.g. description of app by developer, Apple/Android/both, cost, key words) and purpose of each. SRFs considered were: diabetes, hypertension, smoking, obesity, atrial fibrillation, and dyslipidemia. Results: Out of 29,262 medical apps available, 812 (2.8%) eligible apps were identified. Of these apps, 67/812 (8%) apps were specifically designed for stroke survivors/caregiver use. The majority of these apps addressed communication with aphasic patients (n=22, 32%), speech therapy (n=19, 28%), and calculating stroke risk (n=11, 16%). There were 471/812 (58%) apps that addressed SRFs. Among the remaining apps, 130 (16%) could be used in rehabilitation; 93 (12%) had the potential to facilitate communication with stroke survivors; 29 (4%) could improve the quality of care in survivors; 32 (4%) had the ability to direct a patient to an emergency room based on their location, and 13 (2%) could assist with spotting an acute stroke. Less than 1% specifically assist the caregiver to better face challenges of stroke patients. Conclusions: Over 60 medical apps exist to specifically support stroke survivors/caregivers. The majority of apps relate to stroke primarily targeting SRFs, language, and motor deficits and relatively few specifically support caregivers. Apps encompassing most stroke survivor/caregiver needs could be developed and tested to ensure the issues faced by these populations are being adequately addressed.
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