Asthma App Use and Interest Among Patients With Asthma: A Multicenter Study

Jácome, Cristina; Almeida, Rute; Pereira, Ana Margarida; Araújo, Luís; Correia, M. Da Conceicao De Barros; Pereira, Marta Nobre; Couto, Mariana; Lopes, Cristina; Loureiro, Carla Chaves; Catarata, MJ; Santos, LM; Ramos, Brenda Senra Duque; Mendes, Ana; Pedro, Elisa; Rodrigues, JC Cidrais; Oliveira, Georgeta; Aguiar, AP; Arrobas, AM; Costa, José Batista da; Dias, Jorge Amil; Bom, Ana Todo; Azevedo, João; Ribeiro, Carmelita; Alves, Mônica; Pinto, P L; Neuparth, Nuno; Palhinha, Ana; Marques, J.G.; Martins, Pedro; Trincão, David; Neves, Ana Castro; Bom, Filipa Todo; Ma, Santos; Branco, Joana; Lozoya, Carlos; Costa, Alberto; Neto, Adriano; Silva, D; Vasconcelos, Maria J.; Teixeira, MF; Ferreira-Magalhães, Manuel; Taborda-Barata, Luís; Carvalhal, Cíntia Iara Oda; Santos, Natacha; Pinto, Cláudia; Alves, Rodrigo Rodrigues; Moreira, A S; Silva, P Morais; Fernandes, Ricardo M; Ferreira, Rosário; Alves, Carlos; Câmara, Raquel; Oliveira, J Ferraz de; Bordalo, Diana; Cálix, M J; Marques, Alda; Nunes, Carlos Pereira; Menezes, Fernando; Gomes, Ricardo; Fonseca, João Almeida

doi:10.18176/jiaci.0456

Cited by 19 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…This study analyzed ratings and features of publicly available asthma apps to identify user preferences. Our descriptive results confirmed those of prior studies which observed the limited availability of publicly available, up-to-date asthma apps on the market [ 26 ]. In terms of available functions, we observed that most asthma apps offered functions associated with several recommendations of effective self-management including asthma education, peak flow monitoring, and an action plan [ 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Previous studies of asthma apps confirmed peak flow tracking, symptom tracking, and medication tracking as some of the most common functions in highly rated apps [ 25 ]. Additional function recommendations which were not captured in our sentiment analysis but have been identified in previous studies of asthma apps include medical appointment tracking, health snapshots, and clinical asthma questionnaires [ 20 , 26 , 35 ]. Additional categories which have been identified through formative research of specific asthma apps include the incorporation of notification features such as those related to medication reminders, medical appointment reminders, and peak flow reading reminders [ 36 - 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, there has been a proliferation of new mobile apps for the self-assessment and self-management of asthma [ 24 , 25 ]. However, uptake of asthma apps has been sparse, despite evidence of their efficacy in impacting asthma outcomes [ 26 ]. Results from randomized controlled studies show that use of mobile health apps improves asthma symptoms and medication compliance, which should, in turn, reduce emergency department visits and hospital admissions [ 27 - 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating Asthma Mobile Apps to Improve Asthma Self-Management: User Ratings and Sentiment Analysis of Publicly Available Apps

Camacho-Rivera

Huang

et al. 2020

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background The development and use of mobile health (mHealth) apps for asthma management have risen dramatically over the past two decades. Asthma apps vary widely in their content and features; however, prior research has rarely examined preferences of users of publicly available apps. Objective The goals of this study were to provide a descriptive overview of asthma mobile apps that are publicly available and to assess the usability of asthma apps currently available on the market to identify content and features of apps associated with positive and negative user ratings. Methods Reviews were collected on June 23, 2020, and included publicly posted reviews until June 21, 2020. To characterize features associated with high or low app ratings, we first dichotomized the average user rating of the asthma app into 2 categories: a high average rating and a low average rating. Asthma apps with average ratings of 4 and above were categorized as having a high average rating. Asthma apps with average ratings of less than 4 were categorized as having a low average rating. For the sentiment analysis, we modeled both 2-word (bi-gram) and 3-word (tri-gram) phrases which commonly appeared across highly rated and lowly rated apps. Results Of the 10 apps that met the inclusion criteria, a total of 373 reviews were examined across all apps. Among apps reviewed, 53.4% (199/373) received high ratings (average ratings of 4 or 5) and 47.2% (176/373) received low ratings (average ratings of 3 or less). The number of ratings across all apps ranged from 188 (AsthmaMD) to 10 (My Asthma App); 30% (3/10) of apps were available on both Android and iOS. From the sentiment analysis, key features of asthma management that were common among highly rated apps included the tracking of peak flow readings (n=48), asthma symptom monitoring (n=11), and action plans (n=10). Key features related to functionality that were common among highly rated apps included ease of use (n=5). Users most commonly reported loss of data (n=14) and crashing of app (n=12) as functionality issues among poorly rated asthma apps. Conclusions Our study results demonstrate that asthma app quality, maintenance, and updates vary widely across apps and platforms. These findings may call into question the long-term engagement with asthma apps, a crucial factor for determining their potential to improve asthma self-management and asthma clinical outcomes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating Asthma Mobile Apps to Improve Asthma Self-Management: User Ratings and Sentiment Analysis of Publicly Available Apps

Camacho-Rivera

Huang

et al. 2020

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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show abstract

“…The app with the most references in the literature is Allergy Diary by MACVIA ARIA; 34-36 it was developed with physicians and has also been used for epidemiological purposes. 37 The possible use of this category of apps in diagnosis of allergies is also an emerging opportunity. 38…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Applications in Otolaryngology: A Systematic Review of the Literature, Apple App Store and the Google Play Store

Trecca

Lonigro

Gelardi

et al. 2020

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol

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Objectives: Although the last few years have seen an increased number of smartphone applications (apps) disseminated in the field of Otolaryngology (ORL), these apps vary widely in quality. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to systematically review ORL apps directed towards patients in mobile app stores and the current literature. Methods: The Google Play Store, Apple App Store and PubMed were searched for ORL apps for patients using various keywords pertaining to different ORL subspecialties. Apps not relevant to the scope of this research and/or duplicates, educational apps, apps promoting a business, apps requiring specific separate hardware, and apps in non-English were excluded. In PubMed, keywords pertaining to the subspecialties were combined with “mobile app” in a search query; literature reviews, editorials, case reports, conference papers, duplicate articles, and articles irrelevant to ORL apps were excluded. The quality of apps with the highest number of reviews was assessed using the “Mobile App Rating Scale” (MARS), while the quality of the articles was rated using “The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology” (STROBE) Statement. Results: After searching the app stores, 1074 apps were included and grouped according to their ORL subspecialties. The overall MARS score of the ten most popular apps in each category was 3.65 out of 5. A total of 636 articles were identified in the literature, and 193 were included. The mean adherence percentage of the articles to the STROBE checklist was of 84.37%. Conclusions: Although the apps currently available need further development, their application in ORL appears promising. Further dialogue between physicians and patients, as well as formal support from professional and scientific associations, should be encouraged.

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“…In recent years, there has been a proliferation of new mobile apps for the self-assessment and self-management of asthma [24,25]. However, uptake of asthma apps has been sparse, despite evidence of their efficacy in impacting asthma outcomes [26]. Results from randomized controlled studies show that use of mobile health apps improves asthma symptoms and medication compliance, which should, in turn, reduce emergency department visits and hospital admissions [27][28][29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating Asthma Mobile Apps to Improve Asthma Self-Management: User Ratings and Sentiment Analysis of Publicly Available Apps (Preprint)

Camacho-Rivera¹,

Vo²,

Huang³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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BACKGROUND The development and use of mobile health (mHealth) apps for asthma management have risen dramatically over the past two decades. Asthma apps vary widely in their content and features; however, prior research has rarely examined preferences of users of publicly available apps. OBJECTIVE The goals of this study were to provide a descriptive overview of asthma mobile apps that are publicly available and to assess the usability of asthma apps currently available on the market to identify content and features of apps associated with positive and negative user ratings. METHODS Reviews were collected on June 23, 2020, and included publicly posted reviews until June 21, 2020. To characterize features associated with high or low app ratings, we first dichotomized the average user rating of the asthma app into 2 categories: a high average rating and a low average rating. Asthma apps with average ratings of 4 and above were categorized as having a high average rating. Asthma apps with average ratings of less than 4 were categorized as having a low average rating. For the sentiment analysis, we modeled both 2-word (bi-gram) and 3-word (tri-gram) phrases which commonly appeared across highly rated and lowly rated apps. RESULTS Of the 10 apps that met the inclusion criteria, a total of 373 reviews were examined across all apps. Among apps reviewed, 53.4% (199/373) received high ratings (average ratings of 4 or 5) and 47.2% (176/373) received low ratings (average ratings of 3 or less). The number of ratings across all apps ranged from 188 (AsthmaMD) to 10 (My Asthma App); 30% (3/10) of apps were available on both Android and iOS. From the sentiment analysis, key features of asthma management that were common among highly rated apps included the tracking of peak flow readings (n=48), asthma symptom monitoring (n=11), and action plans (n=10). Key features related to functionality that were common among highly rated apps included ease of use (n=5). Users most commonly reported loss of data (n=14) and crashing of app (n=12) as functionality issues among poorly rated asthma apps. CONCLUSIONS Our study results demonstrate that asthma app quality, maintenance, and updates vary widely across apps and platforms. These findings may call into question the long-term engagement with asthma apps, a crucial factor for determining their potential to improve asthma self-management and asthma clinical outcomes.

show abstract

Asthma App Use and Interest Among Patients With Asthma: A Multicenter Study

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

Evaluating Asthma Mobile Apps to Improve Asthma Self-Management: User Ratings and Sentiment Analysis of Publicly Available Apps

Evaluating Asthma Mobile Apps to Improve Asthma Self-Management: User Ratings and Sentiment Analysis of Publicly Available Apps

Mobile Applications in Otolaryngology: A Systematic Review of the Literature, Apple App Store and the Google Play Store

Evaluating Asthma Mobile Apps to Improve Asthma Self-Management: User Ratings and Sentiment Analysis of Publicly Available Apps (Preprint)

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