Medical applications: a database and characterization of apps in Apple iOS and Android platforms

Seabrook, Heather Jane; Stromer, Julie N.; Shevkenek, Cole; Bharwani, Aleem; Grood, Jill de; Ghali, William A.

doi:10.1186/1756-0500-7-573

Cited by 55 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This was expected because a high proportion of the newspaper articles focused on general public-health topics including fitness, wellbeing and good diet. This finding concords with the finding of a recent report which stated that apps that remind, monitor and track are intended for general public as are social media apps [39]. These kinds of innovative apps can play an important role in general health and lifestyle and can help motivate people to make healthy lifestyle choices [3].…”

Section: Content Of the Selected Articlessupporting

confidence: 45%

Health Care Apps Reported in Newspapers: Content Analysis (Preprint)

Bawab¹,

Alqahtani²,

McElnay³

2018

Preprint

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Background: Newspapers are considered as one of the most viewed and influential media sources in both UK and USA. Information about how newspapers portray healthcare apps to the readers has been lacking. Objectives:The present study investigated the reporting on healthcare apps in newspapers published in the UK and USA. Methods:The Nexus® UK database was utilised to identify and select relevant articles. Systematic content analysis of the articles that met the inclusion criteria (articles of any format that contained reference to healthcare apps or medical apps) within the highest circulated newspapers in the UK and USA over a period of 10 years (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015) was conducted. Inter-rater reliability of coding was established using a 10% sample of the chosen articles.Results: 151 UK and 69 USA relevant newspaper articles were retrieved. Healthcare apps were most frequently reported on in the Daily Mail and The Guardian (UK newspapers) and in the New York Times and the Washington Post (US newspapers). An exponential rise in published scientific articles (PubMed®) on healthcare related apps was noted during the study period. A total of 26.4 and 19.1% of the retrieved newspaper articles appeared in the features and main news sections respectively. General information about healthcare applications was the main theme coved by the newspapers (45.9%). Most of the articles represented a societal point of view (72.3%). The main focus of the articles was on general health matters (48%) and specific disease matters (37%). Diabetes was the most frequently mentioned disease in the articles. A high proportion (91.8%) of the articles mentioned benefits of using healthcare apps mainly for personalised care, while 24.0% of the articles commented on related risks such as anxiety and confidentiality issues. Almost half (45.9%) of the articles mentioned potential facilitators to the use of apps while less than 10% discussed barriers. Most of the articles (83.6%) were judged as having balanced judgement on the present topic while more than half (60.0%) of the articles were judged to be of generally low quality. Conclusions:Healthcare apps were not widely reported in newspaper articles in the UK and the USA over the study period, however, there appeared to be much more recent interest. Characteristically the articles focused on societal impact and on general health rather than on disease specific applications.Keywords: apps, Newspaper articles, Newspapers, health 2 IntroductionHealthcare applications (apps) are defined by the FDA as "software programs that run on smartphones and other mobile communication devices in order to, for example, provide health information to the public, provide other health related support to patients and healthcare professionals and remotely transfer data to health care providers". These apps can also be used to facilitate decision making and provide the opportunity for consultations to take place remotely [1].Smartphone apps are becoming increasingly popular glo...

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Section: Content Of the Selected Articlessupporting

confidence: 45%

Health Care Apps Reported in Newspapers: Content Analysis (Preprint)

Bawab¹,

Alqahtani²,

McElnay³

2018

Preprint

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“…mHealth can help to realize the advantages of health information technology in point-of-care settings [6-8]. In particular, this service can provide information on drugs and diseases and can support clinical decisions [9-11]. Moreover, mHealth—a useful tool for both patients and health care providers—can serve as a tool to overcome the limitations of conventional medical services [3,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood Culture Testing via a Mobile App That Uses a Mobile Phone Camera: A Feasibility Study

Lee

Lee²,

Chong³

et al. 2016

J Med Internet Res

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BackgroundTo evaluate patients with fever of unknown origin or those with suspected bacteremia, the precision of blood culture tests is critical. An inappropriate step in the test process or error in a parameter could lead to a false-positive result, which could then affect the direction of treatment in critical conditions. Mobile health apps can be used to resolve problems with blood culture tests, and such apps can hence ensure that point-of-care guidelines are followed and processes are monitored for blood culture tests.ObjectiveIn this pilot project, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of using a mobile blood culture app to manage blood culture test quality. We implemented the app at a university hospital in South Korea to assess the potential for its utilization in a clinical environment by reviewing the usage data among a small group of users and by assessing their feedback and the data related to blood culture sampling.MethodsWe used an iOS-based blood culture app that uses an embedded camera to scan the patient identification and sample number bar codes. A total of 4 medical interns working at 2 medical intensive care units (MICUs) participated in this project, which spanned 3 weeks. App usage and blood culture sampling parameters (including sampler, sampling site, sampling time, and sample volume) were analyzed. The compliance of sampling parameter entry was also measured. In addition, the participants’ opinions regarding patient safety, timeliness, efficiency, and usability were recorded.ResultsIn total, 356/644 (55.3%) of all blood culture samples obtained at the MICUs were examined using the app, including 254/356 (71.3%) with blood collection volumes of 5-7 mL and 256/356 (71.9%) with blood collection from the peripheral veins. The sampling volume differed among the participants. Sampling parameters were completely entered in 354/356 cases (99.4%). All the participants agreed that the app ensured good patient safety, disagreed on its timeliness, and did not believe that it was efficient. Although the bar code scanning speed was acceptable, the Wi-Fi environment required improvement. Moreover, the participants requested feedback regarding their sampling quality.ConclusionsAlthough this app could be used in the clinical setting, improvements in the app functions, environment network, and internal policy of blood culture testing are needed to ensure hospital-wide use.

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“…In addition, more advanced health IT has been developed recently, playing an important role as a method to improve healthcare quality and safety, as well as, to reduce medical and healthcare-related errors. Specifically, mobile applications are being used in healthcare settings not only by medical researchers, but also by diverse groups of patients who aim to improve their compliance [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the convenient and effective features of information technology (IT) and its increased use, several studies have focused on the development of innovative IT for improving patient's health conditions [8,9]. Electronic Health Records (EHR), e-prescribing, and Electronic Drug Monitoring (EDM) for providers to monitor patients' medication adherence were commonly cited as beneficial methods [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Applications to Improve Medication Adherence: Existing Apps, Quality of Life and Future Directions

Choi¹,

Lovett²,

Kang³

et al. 2015

app

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The aims of the study were to review the literature within the last decade with regard to existing applications to improve non-adherence, quality of life, and to discuss the pros and cons of currently marketed mobile applications. Based on review of a total of 33 articles and reports, hundreds of medication-related applications were shown to be currently available on the market. The findings were categorized based on the pros and cons of the applications. Results revealed that various applications are helpful to facilitate patient adherence, yet the majority of them have similar functions. These functions consist of manual reminder alerts and access to sources for drug information. Limited studies were found related to quality of life. Observational studies that were retrieved focused on physiological factors, such as a decrease in hemoglobin A1c. The target populations for mobile applications included caregivers, the elderly, low literacy patients, low income individuals, and other patients. Current mobile applications have a beneficial impact on patients, caregivers, and health-care providers including pharmacists. Although there were some concerns regarding methods for using mobile applications, such as privacy issues, the majority of previous studies showed positive perspectives on mobile applications. Future research on compatible features is encouraged for improved mobile application use in healthcare.

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Medical applications: a database and characterization of apps in Apple iOS and Android platforms

Cited by 55 publications

References 17 publications

Health Care Apps Reported in Newspapers: Content Analysis (Preprint)

Health Care Apps Reported in Newspapers: Content Analysis (Preprint)

Blood Culture Testing via a Mobile App That Uses a Mobile Phone Camera: A Feasibility Study

Mobile Applications to Improve Medication Adherence: Existing Apps, Quality of Life and Future Directions

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