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Assessment of mobile health apps using built-in smartphone sensors for diagnosis and treatment: Systematic survey of apps listed in international curated health app libraries
journal contribution
posted on 2020-11-02, 00:00 authored by C Baxter, J-A Carroll, B Keogh, Corneel VandelanotteCorneel VandelanotteBackground: More than a million health and well-being apps are available from the Apple and Google app stores. Some apps use built-in mobile phone sensors to generate health data. Clinicians and patients can find information regarding safe and effective mobile health (mHealth) apps in third party-curated mHealth app libraries. Objective: These independent Web-based repositories guide app selection from trusted lists, but do they offer apps using ubiquitous, low-cost smartphone sensors to improve health? This study aimed to identify the types of built-in mobile phone sensors used in apps listed on curated health app libraries, the range of health conditions these apps address, and the cross-platform availability of the apps. Methods: This systematic survey reviewed three such repositories (National Health Service Apps Library, AppScript, and MyHealthApps), assessing the availability of apps using built-in mobile phone sensors for the diagnosis or treatment of health conditions. Results: A total of 18 such apps were identified and included in this survey, representing 1.1% (8/699) to 3% (2/76) of all apps offered by the respective libraries examined. About one-third (7/18, 39%) of the identified apps offered cross-platform Apple and Android versions, with a further 50% (9/18) only dedicated to Apple and 11% (2/18) to Android. About one-fourth (4/18, 22%) of the identified apps offered dedicated diagnostic functions, with a majority featuring therapeutic (9/18, 50%) or combined functionality (5/18, 28%). Cameras, touch screens, and microphones were the most frequently used built-in sensors. Health concerns addressed by these apps included respiratory, dermatological, neurological, and anxiety conditions. Conclusions: Diligent mHealth app library curation, medical device regulation constraints, and cross-platform differences in mobile phone sensor architectures may all contribute to the observed limited availability of mHealth apps using built-in phone sensors in curated mHealth app libraries. However, more efforts are needed to increase the number of such apps on curated lists, as they offer easily accessible low-cost options to assist people in managing clinical conditions.
History
Volume
8Issue
2Start Page
1End Page
10Number of Pages
10eISSN
2291-5222Publisher
J M I R PublicationsPublisher DOI
Full Text URL
Additional Rights
CC BY 4.0Peer Reviewed
YesOpen Access
YesAcceptance Date
2019-12-16External Author Affiliations
Queensland University of TechnologyAuthor Research Institute
Appleton InstituteEra Eligible
YesJournal
JMIR mHealth and uHealthUsage metrics
Categories
Keywords
telehealthmHealthsmartphonemobile appsinstrumentationhealth care qualityhealth care needshealth care accessand health care evaluationmedical informaticsconsumer health informaticsphysician-patient relationsprescriptionspatient participationpatient-generated health datadiagnostic self evaluationself-careself-managementmedical device legislationHealth Promotion