Background Self-care is essential for people with Parkinson disease (PD) to minimize their disability and adapt to alterations in physical abilities due to this progressive neurodegenerative disorder. With rapid developments in mobile technology, many health-related mobile apps for PD have been developed and used. However, research on mobile app–based self-care in PD is insufficient. Objective This study aimed to explore the features and characteristics of mobile apps for self-care in people with PD. Methods This study was performed sequentially according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PsycINFO were searched in consultation with a librarian on June 8, 2021. We used keywords including ”Parkinson disease” and ”mobile.” Results A total of 17 studies were selected based on the inclusion criteria, including 3 randomized controlled trials and 14 observational studies or quasi-experimental studies. The use of mobile apps for self-care in people with PD focused on symptom monitoring, especially motor symptoms. Motor symptoms were objectively measured mainly through the sensors of smartphones or wearable devices and task performance. Nonmotor symptoms were monitored through task performance or self-reported questionnaires in mobile apps. Most existing studies have focused on clinical symptom assessment in people with PD, and there is a lack of studies focusing on symptom management. Conclusions Mobile apps for people with PD have been developed and used, but strategies for self-management are insufficient. We recommend the development of mobile apps focused on self-care that can enhance symptom management and health promotion practices. Studies should also evaluate the effects of mobile apps on symptom improvement and quality of life in people with PD. Trial Registration PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021267374; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021267374.

BACKGROUND Self-care is essential for people with Parkinson disease (PD) to minimize their disability and adapt to alterations in physical abilities due to progressive neurodegenerative disorder. With rapid developments in mobile technology, many health-related mobile applications for PD have been developed and utilized. However, insufficient research has investigated mobile application-based self-care in PD. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the features and characteristics of the utilization of mobile applications for self-care in people with PD. METHODS This study was performed sequentially according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement. Referred databases are PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and PsycINFO in consultation with a librarian on June 8, 2021. We used keywords including ‘Parkinson disease’ and ‘mobile.’ RESULTS A total of 17 studies were selected by the inclusion criteria, including 3 randomized controlled trials and 14 observational studies/quasi-experimental studies. The utilization of mobile applications for self-care in people with PD focused on symptom monitoring, especially tracking motor symptoms. Motor symptoms were objectively measured mainly through the sensors of smartphones or wearable devices and task performance. Non-motor symptoms were monitored through task performance or self-reported questionnaires in mobile applications. Most studies focused on clinical symptom assessment in people with PD, and there was a lack of studies focusing on symptom management. CONCLUSIONS Mobile applications for people with PD have been developed and utilized, but strategies for self-management are insufficient. We recommend the development of mobile applications focused on self-care that can enhance symptom management and health promotion practices. Studies should also evaluate the effects of mobile applications on symptom improvement and quality of life in people with PD. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021267374.