Mobile Health Apps Providing Information on Drugs for Adult Emergency Care: Systematic Search on App Stores and Content Analysis

Abstract

Background Drug-referencing apps are among the most frequently used by emergency health professionals. To date, no study has analyzed the quantity and quality of apps that provide information on emergency drugs. Objective This study aimed to identify apps designed to assist emergency professionals in managing drugs and to describe and analyze their characteristics. Methods We performed an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study of apps that provide information on drugs for adult emergency care. The iOS and Android platforms were searched in February 2021. The apps were independently evaluated by 2 hospital clinical pharmacists. We analyzed developer affiliation, cost, updates, user ratings, and number of downloads. We also evaluated the main topic (emergency drugs or emergency medicine), the number of drugs described, the inclusion of bibliographic references, and the presence of the following drug information: commercial presentations, usual dosage, dose adjustment for renal failure, mechanism of action, therapeutic indications, contraindications, interactions with other medicinal products, use in pregnancy and breastfeeding, adverse reactions, method of preparation and administration, stability data, incompatibilities, identification of high-alert medications, positioning in treatment algorithms, information about medication reconciliation, and cost. Results Overall, 49 apps were identified. Of these 49 apps, 32 (65%) were found on both digital platforms; 11 (22%) were available only for Android, and 6 (12%) were available only for iOS. In total, 41% (20/49) of the apps required payment (ranging from €0.59 [US $0.64] to €179.99 [US $196.10]) and 22% (11/49) of the apps were developed by non–health care professionals. The mean weighted user rating was 4.023 of 5 (SD 0.71). Overall, 45% (22/49) of the apps focused on emergency drugs, and 55% (27/49) focused on emergency medicine. More than half (29/47, 62%) did not include bibliographic references or had not been updated for more than a year (29/49, 59%). The median number of drugs was 66 (range 4 to >5000). Contraindications (26/47, 55%) and adverse reactions (24/47, 51%) were found in only half of the apps. Less than half of the apps addressed dose adjustment for renal failure (15/47, 32%), interactions (10/47, 21%), and use during pregnancy and breastfeeding (15/47, 32%). Only 6% (3/47) identified high-alert medications, and 2% (1/47) included information about medication reconciliation. Health-related developer, main topic, and greater amount of drug information were not statistically associated with higher user ratings (P=.99, P=.09, and P=.31, respectively). Conclusions We provide a comprehensive review of apps with information on emergency drugs for adults. Information on authorship, drug characteristics, and bibliographic references is frequently scarce; therefore, we propose recommendations to consider when developing an app of these characteristics. Future efforts should be made to increase the regulation of drug-referencing apps and to conduct a more frequent and documented review of their clinical content.

Contribuições dos aplicativos móveis para o atendimento pré-hospitalar: revisão integrativa

“…(15,17,31,32) Diversos estudos descrevem os benefícios e impactos positivos da saúde móvel por meio de smartphones e apps móveis. (17)(18)(19)31,33,34) Entre as potencialidades dos apps, destacam-se as seguintes: possibilidade de colaborar para a construção de uma nova modalidade de cuidado e educação em saúde, colocando a comunicação, conectividade com a internet e configurações sofisticadas nas mãos de profissionais e pacientes em tempo real e/ou remoto; (17)(18)(19)33) disponibilização de conteúdos gratuitos e/ ou de baixo custo, tornando-se uma alternativa de acesso à informações, bem como, uma ferramenta tecnológica de promoção e/ou prevenção em saúde para a população; (34) melhoria em atendimento aos pacientes, processo de tomada de decisões, redução de erros médicos na assistência à saúde e comunicação entre a equipe de saúde. (31) Os apps desenvolvidos para a área da saúde são usados para melhorar o acesso e o registro de informações, para comunicação, tratamento e monitoramento de pacientes, tomada de decisões, educação e treinamento em saúde, (32) corroborando com os resultados obtidos no presente estudo.…”

“…(12)(13)(14)(15) Estudos apontam que o uso de apps colabora de modo significativo para o desenvolvimento da assistência em saúde e o manejo clínico eficiente, oportunizando bons resultados para gestores, profissionais de saúde e usuários, através de otimização do tempo de assistência e favorecimento do diagnóstico precoce. (14,(17)(18)(19) Diante do contexto exposto, este estudo objetivou analisar as contribuições científicas dos aplicativos móveis desenvolvidos para o atendimento pré-hospitalar.…”

Preference and usage pattern of mobile medical apps for drug information purposes among hospital pharmacists in Sarawak, Malaysia

“…This is consistent with a feature assessment among selected MMA conducted by Apidi et al (2017), who concluded that drug information apps had largely similar but different sets of functionalities. Another review found that numerous drug information apps lacked details on drug interaction, dose adjustment and use in pregnancy or breastfeeding [20]. Thus, the creation of an ultimate MMA tailored to both the drug information and clinical needs of pharmacists may be an effort that is worthwhile to be pursued.…”

Improving medication adherence monitoring and clinical outcomes through mHealth: A randomized controlled trial protocol in pediatric stem cell transplant

“…mHealth apps offer solutions to address non-adherence, reduce potential barriers, and are widely available, simple, and innovative [27][28][29][30][31][32]. However, their feasibility, acceptability, and usability, especially in pediatric care, remain uncertain.…”