Characterisation and assessment of the most popular mobile apps designed for neck pain self‐management: A systematic search in app stores

Marques, Joana; Borges, Lauta; Andias, Rosa; Silva, Ana

doi:10.1002/msc.1581

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…App subjective quality and app specific domains, not included in the overall MARS quality score, obtained scores of 2.1 ± 0.9 and 2.0 ± 0.9 out of 5, respectively, further suggesting that although the MARS total scores are acceptable, they were rated by this study authors (which are health professionals) as not having the necessary quality for us to recommend them to others, to consistently use them and pay for them or to impact the user's knowledge, attitudes and intention to change. These results are similar to those reported by Marques et al., 2022, that explored the characteristics of the most popular mobile apps for neck pain management and found scores for app subjective quality of 2.90 ± 0.85 and app‐specific score of 3.10 ± 1.12. This might also be explained by the lack of involvement of healthcare professionals and users in the development of health applications (Lalloo et al., 2015; Mohammadzadeh et al., 2021), and use evidence‐based information sources, as well as unappealing app designs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

A systematic search and assessment of the quality and characterisation of free mobile applications targeting knee pain

Nogueira

Martins

Nery

et al. 2022

Musculoskeletal Care

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Knee pain has an incidence of approximately 25% in adults and its prevalence has been increasing in the last 20 years. The use of smartphones and mobile applications (apps) has also increased in the 'Health and Fitness' field, which might be a useful complement in the rehabilitation process of these patients. However, it is necessary to investigate the quality of these mobile applications.Aim: This study aimed to assess free mobile apps targeting knee pain and to characterise and critically analyse the interventions described in them.Methods: A systematic search was performed in the Apple store, Play Store and Microsoft Store.Results: A total of 26 applications met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated using the Mobile Apps Rating Scale (MARS), and for their content against guidelines on knee pain intervention. The mean MARS total score was 3.3 (�0.5) and the mean subjective quality score was 2.1 (�0.9) out of a maximum of 5 points each. Most apps combined different types of exercises 88% and included both exercise and pain education (62%).Results: These results suggest a need to improve the quality of these apps aiming to create more engagement and improve app usage. Additionally, as health apps may be useful in pain management and be an alternative to complement rehabilitation, the involvement of health professionals is important during the development process of the apps including evidence-based content and progression recommendations. K E Y W O R D Sknee pain, mobile app, rehabilitation, pain management | INTRODUCTIONKnee pain is a problem that has been increasing over the years.Currently, it is estimated that the incidence of knee pain in adults is approximately 25% and the prevalence has increased by almost 65% in the last 20 years, resulting in nearly 4 million primary care visits per year (Bunt et al., 2018). Also, knee injuries impact work ability being responsible for a mean of 17 days per year of sick leave (Type of Injury or Illness and Body Parts Affected by Nonfatal Injuries and Illnesses in 2014: The Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d). Therefore, the need to find tools that facilitate self-management and recovery 212

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

A systematic search and assessment of the quality and characterisation of free mobile applications targeting knee pain

Nogueira

Martins

Nery

et al. 2022

Musculoskeletal Care

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“…Despite a large number of applications in the field of low-back and neck pain management and numerous articles evaluating them [24][25][26], the lack of an application with an agreed conceptual and content model is a clear information gap. Also, most of the applications in the field of physiotherapy for low-back and neck pain do not use clinical guidelines and valid references for their content [24][25][26][27]. For this reason, patients and therapists face challenges in choosing the appropriate evidence-based application [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a Content Model of a Mobile-Based Application to Manage Patients with Low-Back and Neck Pain

Farjami Rad,

Shahmoradi,

Nakhostin Ansari

et al. 2024

International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications

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Introduction. As a complementary tool in health, the design of mobile applications to influence care and increase awareness of patients has grown a lot. The purpose of this study is to design and validate the content model of a mobile-based application for managing patients with low-back and neck pain. Methods. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in two main stages to determine the content model of the application. The first stage consisted of three steps: finding the right exercise, determining the right scale to assess the pain intensity, and determining the appropriate features of the application. In the second stage, data elements collected from the previous stage were prepared in the form of a questionnaire that was given to 12 experts in physical therapy and sports medicine for validation. After collecting the questionnaire, data elements in all parts were analyzed based on the content validity ratio (CVR) and descriptive statistics indicators. Result. The content of the application was prepared in the three axes of exercises for low-back and neck pain, assessment of pain intensity, and features of the application. In the axis of sports exercises, 8 exercises for back pain and 3 exercises for neck pain were included according to the reference books. A Functional Rating Index (FRI) scale with 10 elements was selected in the axis of determining pain intensity. Also, 12 features such as the daily exercise section, using the animation, and using an audio file to explain how to do exercises were included in the model. Conclusion. According to the gaps identified in the existing applications, determining the content model of the application that is based on evidence and according to the opinion of experts is useful in improving the apps. The content model of this study was presented in 3 axes to increase the patient’s willingness to do exercises, the correct way to perform exercises, conservative treatment, and check the progress of the treatment. The software developers can use these findings as a basis for designing new apps to manage low-back pain and neck pain.

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“…Although evidence suggests that mHealth apps may improve communication between health care professionals and patients [30], increase patients' engagement with their health [31], and lead to health benefits [29,32,33], there remains a need for the systematic evaluation of the content and quality of available mHealth apps that focus primarily on pain monitoring. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is a widely used and reliable tool for assessing the quality of mobile phone apps [34] and has been used to appraise the quality of mHealth apps for low back pain [35][36][37][38], shoulder pain [39], and neck pain [40], as well as those for cancer [41] and arthritis [42,43]. However, these prior appraisals have largely focused on the use of apps for the broader concept of the self-management of pain, whereas the monitoring of pain intensity is only 1 component of self-management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content and Quality of Mobile Apps for the Monitoring of Musculoskeletal or Neuropathic Pain in Australia: Systematic Evaluation

Simmich¹,

Ross²,

Andrews³

et al. 2023

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Mobile apps offer a potential mechanism for people with persistent pain to monitor pain levels conveniently within their own environment and for clinicians to remotely monitor their patients’ pain. However, the quality of currently available apps and the usefulness of included features from a clinical perspective are not known. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the content and quality of currently available smartphone apps designed for monitoring the intensity or presence of musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain. Methods A systematic search was performed in the Australian Apple and Google Play stores. Apps were included if they were designed to monitor the intensity or presence of musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain and were available in the English language within the Australian app stores. Data pertaining to the intended use of the app and clinical population were extracted by using a custom-designed data extraction form, and app quality was assessed by using the 23-item Mobile App Rating Scale. Results Of the 2190 apps screened, 49 met the inclusion criteria. Apps were primarily designed for adult users (36/49, 73%) with nonspecific musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain conditions, arthritis, and joint pain. All apps monitored pain intensity, with almost half (23/49, 47%) also specifying pain location. Overall, the mean quality scores from the Mobile App Rating Scale ranged from 1.5 to 4.4 (out of 5.0). Between 20% (10/49) and 22% (11/49) of apps involved clinicians, consumers, or both in their development, and 20% (10/49) had published literature related to the development or use of the app in clinical scenarios. Although 71% (35/49) had data sharing features, only 5 apps enabled client-clinician communication through the app. Conclusions The overall quality of mobile apps that are currently available for monitoring pain intensity is acceptable. Presently, mobile apps for remote pain monitoring lack functionality for clinicians to view data between consults. Both users and clinicians should be aware of the limitations of these apps and make informed choices in using or recommending apps that best suit the clinical need.

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Characterisation and assessment of the most popular mobile apps designed for neck pain self‐management: A systematic search in app stores

Cited by 4 publications

References 23 publications

A systematic search and assessment of the quality and characterisation of free mobile applications targeting knee pain

A systematic search and assessment of the quality and characterisation of free mobile applications targeting knee pain

Developing a Content Model of a Mobile-Based Application to Manage Patients with Low-Back and Neck Pain

Content and Quality of Mobile Apps for the Monitoring of Musculoskeletal or Neuropathic Pain in Australia: Systematic Evaluation

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