Mobile Health Apps on COVID-19 Launched in the Early Days of the Pandemic: Content Analysis and Review

Abstract

Background Mobile health (mHealth) app use is a major concern because of the possible dissemination of misinformation that could harm the users. Particularly, it can be difficult for health care professionals to recommend a suitable app for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) education and self-monitoring purposes. Objective This study aims to analyze and evaluate the contents as well as features of COVID-19 mobile apps. The findings are instrumental in helping health care professionals to identify suitable mobile apps for COVID-19 self-monitoring and education. The results of the mobile apps’ assessment could potentially help mobile app developers improve or modify their existing mobile app designs to achieve optimal outcomes. Methods The search for the mHealth apps available in the android-based Play Store and the iOS-based App Store was conducted between April 18 and May 5, 2020. The region of the App Store where we performed the search was the United States, and a virtual private network app was used to locate and access COVID-19 mobile apps from all countries on the Google Play Store. The inclusion criteria were apps that are related to COVID-19 with no restriction in language type. The basic features assessment criteria used for comparison were the requirement for free subscription, internet connection, education or advisory content, size of the app, ability to export data, and automated data entry. The functionality of the apps was assessed according to knowledge (information on COVID-19), tracing or mapping of COVID-19 cases, home monitoring surveillance, online consultation with a health authority, and official apps run by health authorities. Results Of the 223 COVID-19–related mobile apps, only 30 (19.9%) found in the App Store and 28 (44.4%) in the Play Store matched the inclusion criteria. In the basic features assessment, most App Store (10/30, 33.3%) and Play Store (10/28, 35.7%) apps scored 4 out of 7 points. Meanwhile, the outcome of the functionality assessment for most App Store apps (13/30, 43.3%) was a score of 3 compared to android-based apps (10/28, 35.7%), which scored 2 (out of the maximum 5 points). Evaluation of the basic functions showed that 75.0% (n=36) of the 48 included mobile apps do not require a subscription, 56.3% (n=27) provide symptom advice, and 41.7% (n=20) have educational content. In terms of the specific functions, more than half of the included mobile apps are official mobile apps maintained by a health authority for COVID-19 information provision. Around 37.5% (n=18) and 31.3% (n=15) of the mobile apps have tracing or mapping and home monitoring surveillance functions, respectively, with only 17% (n=8) of the mobile apps equipped with an online consultation function. Conclusions Most iOS-based apps incorporate infographic mapping of COVID-19 cases, while most android-based apps incorporate home monitoring surveillance features instead of providing focused educational content on COVID-19. It is important to evaluate the contents and features of COVID-19 mobile apps to guide users in choosing a suitable mobile app based on their requirements.

A Review of Mobile Applications Available in the App and Google Play Stores Used During the COVID-19 Outbreak

“…12 Consequently, various countries have developed mobile health applications to improve the delivery of healthcare services to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] It is pertinent to point out that in general several of these studies are related to the present investigation. For example, one study indicated that more than 2 million of participants used a free smartphone-based app to report potential symptoms of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and the USA.…”

“…14 Alike, a literature review identified the COVID-19 apps accessible in Canadian application stores at the start of the pandemic. 15 Also, the apps on COVID-19 launched between April 18 and May 5, 2020 in the USA were examined by Ming et al 20 Likewise, a study investigated the COVID-19 apps used in India. 19 Furthermore, Davalbhakta et al conducted a literature review to detect the COVID-19 apps used in the United States, United Kingdom, and India.…”

“…21,22 It is pertinent to mention that most of the studies focused on the goals and approaches of developing mobile applications, quality, and technology advances were conducted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 15,16,20,22,23 As there is a rapid progression in the nature of the pandemic, with new symptoms and cases, and new emerging technologies, there is a need for a worldwide regular review of mobile applications. Although there are studies focused on the analysis of the features and functionalities, their evaluations are restricted to the general features of the apps such as usability and ease of use, but did not include COVID-19 specific functionalities and features.…”

Role of ACE2 receptor and the landscape of treatment options from convalescent plasma therapy to the drug repurposing in COVID-19

“…Alcohol vapor is also harmful Santos et al [ 33 ] 10 Sharing of cup, utensils, food, or drink items ✔ It transmits infection Müller et al [ 34 ] 11 Stay home ✔ The measures by which transmission can be reduced are; rules on distance and hygiene to prohibitions on meetings and extension of school and university holidays to the closure of all non-system-relevant facilities in a country in connection with the regulation of individual freedom of movement i.e. lockdown Adhikari et al [ 35 ] 12 Namaste ✔ This way of greeting avoids physical touch as observed in hand shaking Kulkarni et al [ 36 ] 13 Hugs, handshake, high five, fist bump,, & ✔ If individuals will go for these types of greetings or mode of celebration, transmission of virus will happen Adhikari et al [ 35 ] 14 COVID-19 associated app provided by the government ✔ It’s always good to upload COVID-19 app on your mobile to know latest update as well as COVID-19 positive patient in the vicinity Ming et al [ 37 , 38 ] 15 Make a note of helpline number of emergency medical facility ✔ In case if you submit the symptoms such as fever, difficulty in breathing and cough. This put stats accordingly if you are at high or low risk of getting the disease, and further in tracing and monitoring of the patient Collado-Borrell et al [ 38 ] …”

Integration of Technology in Medical Education on Primary Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Students’ Viewpoint

“…The upward trend in the use of digital health consultation applications has been greatly accelerated by the current COVID-19 pandemic [1]. This has compelled general practitioners, in particular, to rapidly shift from face-to-face consultations to telephone or video interactions wherever possible [2].…”