The Quality and Accuracy of Mobile Apps to Prevent Driving After Drinking Alcohol

Wilson, Hollie; Stoyanov, Stoyan; Gandabhai, Shailen; Baldwin, Alexander

doi:10.2196/mhealth.5961

Cited by 41 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The Functionality scale had a highest median score, with questions about performance, ease of use, navigation and gestural design. This is in line with the results of previous studies using MARS for quality assessment of weight management apps [18], prevention of driving after drinking alcohol apps [19], and mindfulness-based apps [20] where functionality scores were also the highest.…”

Section: Principal Findingssupporting

confidence: 91%

Mobile Apps for Management of Tinnitus: Users’ Survey, Quality Assessment, and Content Analysis (Preprint)

Sereda¹,

Smith²,

Newton³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Section: Principal Findingssupporting

confidence: 91%

Mobile Apps for Management of Tinnitus: Users’ Survey, Quality Assessment, and Content Analysis (Preprint)

Sereda¹,

Smith²,

Newton³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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“…A recent study on the evaluation of app quality [10] revealed that iOS does not traditionally support older apps once a newer version of the operating system becomes available. This contrasts with Google Android, where older apps may remain available to users in the marketplace unless they are manually removed by the developer.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Apps for Eye Care in Canada: An Analysis of the iTunes Store

Rodin¹,

Shachak²,

Miller³

et al. 2017

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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BackgroundMobile phone screens can facilitate stimulation to various components of the visual system and many mobile apps are accepted as a means of providing clinical assessments for the oculo-visual system. Although many of these apps are intended for use in clinical settings, there is a growing number of apps in eye care developed for self-tests and eye exercises for lay people. These and other features, however, have not yet been well described.ObjectiveOur objective was to identify, describe, and categorize mobile apps related to eye care that are available to users in the Canadian iTunes market.MethodsWe conducted an extensive search of the Apple iTunes Store for apps related to eye care. We used the terms “eye,” “eye care,” “vision,” and “eye test” and included apps that are targeted at both lay people and medical professionals. We excluded apps whose primary function is not related to eye care. Eligible apps were categorized by primary purpose, based on how they were described by their developers in the iTunes Store.ResultsOur search yielded 10,657 apps, of which 427 met our inclusion criteria. After removing duplicates, 355 unique apps were subject to further review. We assigned the eligible apps to three distinct categories: 39/355 apps (11.0%) were intended for use by medical professionals, 236 apps (66.5%, 236/355) were intended for use by lay people, and 80 apps (22.5%, 80/355) were intended for marketing eye care and eye-care products. We identified 9 subcategories of apps based on the descriptions of their primary functions. Apps for medical professionals fell into three subcategories: clinical calculators (n=6), clinical diagnostic tools (n=18), and education and networking apps for professionals (n=15). Apps for lay people fell into four subcategories: self-testing (n=153), eye exercises (n=30), patient tools and low vision aids (n=35), and apps for patient education (n=18). Mixed-use apps (n=80) were placed into two subcategories: marketing of individual practitioners or eye-care products (n=72) and marketing of multiple eye-care products or professional services.ConclusionsThe most extensive subcategory pertaining to eye care consisted of apps for use by lay people, especially for conducting self-tests (n=236). This study revealed a previously uncharacterized category of apps intended for use by doctors and patients, of which the primary goal is marketing of eye-care services and products (n=80).

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“…App rating approach Between 11 and 29 August 2017, two researchers (J. D. Sharpe and M. T. Kamara) assessed the quality of apps using the Mobile Apps Rating Scale (MARS), 20 which is a 23-item rating scale designed for evaluating the quality of mobile health apps. The MARS is a validated, reliable tool that has been used for evaluating apps for the self-management of chronic diseases; [21][22][23][24][25] smoking and alcohol consumption; 26,27 diet and physical activity; 28,29 medication adherence; 30 and mental health, 31 among many other health issues. 32,33 The MARS tool includes an app classification section for gathering descriptive information on rated apps, an objective app quality assessment section that includes four subsections and 19 total items for rating apps based on engagement, functionality, aesthetics and information, and a subjective quality section in which four items are used to rate apps on perceived user satisfaction.…”

Section: App Search Criteria and Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic evaluation of mobile apps to improve the uptake of and adherence to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

Sharpe

Kamara

2018

Sex. Health

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Background Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has been shown to be effective at reducing the risk of HIV infection, yet persons at-risk for acquiring HIV exhibit suboptimal uptake of and adherence to this prevention modality. Although PrEP use among all at-risk groups is low, mobile apps have been shown to increase the use of PrEP; however, it is unknown whether currently available apps have been designed with features to facilitate PrEP uptake and adherence. Methods: The Google Play store and Apple App store were systematically searched for currently available PrEP-related apps. A qualitative evaluation was conducted on apps that met the inclusion criteria for the presence of features that can contribute to PrEP uptake and adherence, and the quality of apps was assessed using the Mobile Apps Rating Scale (MARS) tool. Results: From the systematic search, less than 2% (11/621) of the identified apps were relevant to improving PrEP uptake and adherence. Demonstrating a moderate capacity for facilitating PrEP use, the 11 PrEP-related apps, on average, contained features that addressed two of four factors that can contribute to the uptake of PrEP, particularly features that provided comprehensive information on PrEP and resources to locate providers and clinics offering PrEP services. Findings from the app quality assessment suggested that existing PrEP-related apps are of acceptable quality (mean overall MARS score: 3.2 on a five-point scale). Conclusion: Overall, currently available mobile apps for PrEP demonstrate some promise as potential avenues for increasing PrEP uptake and adherence among persons at-risk for HIV infection.

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The Quality and Accuracy of Mobile Apps to Prevent Driving After Drinking Alcohol

Cited by 41 publications

References 20 publications

Mobile Apps for Management of Tinnitus: Users’ Survey, Quality Assessment, and Content Analysis (Preprint)

Mobile Apps for Management of Tinnitus: Users’ Survey, Quality Assessment, and Content Analysis (Preprint)

Mobile Apps for Eye Care in Canada: An Analysis of the iTunes Store

A systematic evaluation of mobile apps to improve the uptake of and adherence to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

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