SynthesisJMIR mHealth and uHealth2019
Mobile Health Apps for Self-Management of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases: Systematic Literature Review.
Synthesis in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- mHealth Intervention for Improving Pain, Quality of Life, and Functional Disability in Patients With Chronic Pain: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Pooled it
- Engagement and attrition with eHealth tools for remote monitoring in chronic arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.RMD open · 2022Pooled it
- Tele-health interventions to support self-management in adults with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review.Rheumatology international · 2021Pooled it
- Mobile health technologies for the management of rheumatic diseases: a systematic review of online stores in Brazil.Clinical rheumatology · 2021Pooled it
- Digital manikins to self-report pain on a smartphone: A systematic review of mobile apps.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2021Pooled it
- Smartphone Apps Targeting Physical Activity in People With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Systematic Quality Appraisal and Content Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Barriers and facilitators of engagement with app-based pain self-management strategies among chronic pain patients (CPPs).Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Systematic evaluation of commercially available pain-management mHealth apps for chronic pain in the United Kingdom.British journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Rehabilitation Interventions Delivered via Telehealth to Support Self-Management of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease: A Scoping Review.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2026Review
- Evaluation of Mobile Intermittent Fasting Applications in Chinese App Stores: Quality Evaluations and Content Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Transforming Rheumatoid Arthritis Care: A Scoping Review of the Role of Digital Health.Cureus · 2025Review
- Healthcare Interventions in the Management of Rheumatic Diseases: A Narrative Analysis of Effectiveness and Emerging Strategies.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- A pragmatic double blind remote pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of a self-management app for people with Sjögren disease.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- What do users want from rheumatology telephone advice lines? A cross-sectional survey with the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2025Article
- Self-Monitoring Practices and Use of Self-Monitoring Technologies by People with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases: An International Survey Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Patient-Centered Chronic Wound Care Mobile Apps: Systematic Identification, Analysis, and Assessment.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Article
- Digital Therapeutics for Improving Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Drugs and Biological Products: Preclinical and Clinical Studies Supporting Development of Drug + Digital Combination Therapies for Chronic Diseases.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough the increasing availability of mobile health (mHealth) apps may enable people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) to better self-manage their health, there is a general lack of evidence on ways to ensure appropriate development and evaluation of apps.
objectiveThis study aimed to obtain an overview on existing mHealth apps for self-management in patients with RMDs, focusing on content and development methods.
methodsA search was performed up to December 2017 across 5 databases. For each publication relevant to an app for RMDs, information on the disease, purpose, content, and development strategies was extracted and qualitatively assessed.
resultsOf 562 abstracts, 32 were included in the analysis. Of these 32 abstracts, 11 (34%) referred to an app linked to a connected device. Most of the apps targeted rheumatoid arthritis (11/32, 34%). The top three aspects addressed by the apps were pain (23/32, 71%), fatigue (15/32, 47%), and physical activity (15/32, 47%). The development process of the apps was described in 84% (27/32) of the articles and was of low to moderate quality in most of the cases. Despite most of the articles having been published within the past two years, only 5 apps were still commercially available at the time of our search. Moreover, only very few studies showed improvement of RMD outcome measures.
conclusionsThe development process of most apps was of low or moderate quality in many studies. Owing to the increasing RMD patients' willingness to use mHealth apps for self-management, optimal standards and quality assurance of new apps are mandatory.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.