ArticleEvidence-based mental health2020
Longitudinal trends in the quality, effectiveness and attributes of highly rated smartphone health apps.
Article in Evidence-based mental health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Characteristics of suicide prevention apps: a content analysis of apps available in Canada and the UK.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Development, Acceptability and Engagement with the Mind Tutor: Lessons Learned from Testing a Novel Digital Application for First Year UK Undergraduate Student Wellbeing.Psychological studies · 2025Article
- A Web-Based Stratified Stepped Care Platform for Mental Well-being (TourHeart+): User-Centered Research and Design.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- A practical development protocol for evidence-based digital integrative arts therapy content in public mental health services: digital transformation of mandala art therapy.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Accessibility and availability of smartphone apps for schizophrenia.Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2022Article
- Carpe diem.Evidence-based mental health · 2022Article
- Effects of a Novel, Transdiagnostic, Hybrid Ecological Momentary Intervention for Improving Resilience in Youth (EMIcompass): Protocol for an Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2021Article
- Analyzing security issues of android mobile health and medical applications.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2021Article
- Evidence Synthesis of Digital Interventions to Mitigate the Negative Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Mental Health: Rapid Meta-review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Review
- Is the Automation of Digital Mental Health Ethical? Applying an Ethical Framework to Chatbots for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.Frontiers in digital health · 2021Article
- Digital health developments and drawbacks: a review and analysis of top-returned apps for bipolar disorder.International journal of bipolar disorders · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWhile there are numerous mental health apps on the market today, less is known about their safety and quality. This study aims to offer a longitudinal perspective on the nature of high visibility apps for common mental health and physical health conditions.
methodsIn July 2019, we selected the 10 top search-returned apps in the Apple App Store and Android Google Play Store using six keyword terms: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, high blood pressure and diabetes. Each app was downloaded by two authors and reviewed by a clinician, and the app was coded for features, functionality, claims, app store properties, and other properties.
resultsCompared with 1 year prior, there were few statistically significant changes in app privacy policies, evidence and features. However, there was a high rate of turnover with only 34 (57%) of the apps from the Apple's App Store and 28 (47%) from the Google Play Store remaining in the 2019 top 10 search compared with the 2018 search. DISCUSSION: Although there was a high turnover of top search-returned apps between 2018 and 2019, we found that there were few significant changes in features, privacy, medical claims and other properties. This suggests that, although the highly visible and available apps are changing, there were no significant improvements in app quality or safety.
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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.