Mobile Applications for COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background The rapid outbreak of Coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) originating in Wuhan, China, and the subsequent declaration of a state of “pandemic” on March 11, 2020 has necessitated a widespread global response to manage and control the transmission, spread and impact of COVID-19. Mobile technology has been leveraged in a number of ways to control the spread of COVID-19, including to support knowledge translation. Mobile applications are accessible, acceptable, easily adopted, and have the ability to support social distancing efforts. The following review assesses the mobile applications currently available to address COVID-19 and seeks existing studies in the literature that evaluate such applications. Methods 3 databases (Embase, Web of Science and PubMed), 2 application stores (GooglePlay and Apple’s App Store) and google search engine were searched from inception until April 05th 2020 using key words and search strings to identify relevant apps and/or literature. Reviews of the obtained results were examined by two reviewers in double-blind nature and assessed for inclusion or exclusion. Results 36 studies, 72 websites and 312 mobile-based applications were identified through searches. 14 applications met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Additional eHealth tools identified through the search strategy were considered for supplemental analysis (including online dashboards and applications not available through application stores). Conclusion This review provides a brief assessment of the goals of applications addressing COVID-19, the types of approaches being used by these applications, and draws conclusions on the needs not being met by such application-based interventions. Innovation and collaboration between government, healthcare organizations and application developers is needed to address the identified gaps and facilitate the successful harnessing of mobile applications in the management of COVID-19.

Investigating the effective factors of using mHealth apps for monitoring COVID-19 symptoms and contact tracing: A survey among Iranian citizens

“…Presently, app platforms offer a wide range of such apps to deal with the current pandemic [11] , [14] , [16] . They have been implemented in different countries for different purposes [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] .…”

Designing Information Systems to Break Habits and Promote Preventive Behaviours During Large-Scale Disease Outbreaks

“…The nine design principles we derived act as a form of prescriptive knowledge that can guide organisations to effectively develop systems that can harness the potential of behaviour change support systems in this situation. Furthermore, the principles address the calls for improvement in current solutions by providing a more comprehensive approach [16][17][18] that integrates theory grounded features.…”

“…Moreover, a number of solutions have emerged in the last few months and they include apps promoting social distancing [e.g., 13], increased hand washing [e.g., 14], and reduced face touching [e.g., 15]. While such solutions can be very useful, they are limited in scope and fall short of helping users navigate the often-complex web of rules and guidelines that they need to adhere to within a given environment [16][17][18]. There are models that can help the design of such systems [e.g., 19,20]; however, they are not healthspecific, nor do they explicitly address habitual behaviours.…”

Digital Response Framework for COVID-19 Pandemic Monitoring and Control in India

“…Through this component, agents can realistically 'travel' to their destinations and the component will provide accurate travel routes and durations. Mobile applications technology has been leveraged in a number of ways to control the spread of COVID-19, including to support knowledge translation [9]. Mobile applications are accessible, acceptable, easily adopted, and have the ability to support social distancing efforts.…”

“…The CoWIN system will help to track the beneficiaries of vaccination and monitor the utilization, wastage, and coverage of the vaccination at the National, State, District, and Sub-District level. The system has a CoWIN web site [9] for creation of users (admins, supervisor, and vaccinator) at state and district levels, maintenance of vaccinator databases, session sites, and beneficiaries. The system also has a dedicated CoWIN mobile app [10] for registration of individual beneficiaries and their authentication and recording of vaccination.…”