SynthesisJMIR mHealth and uHealth2020
Assessment of the Fairness of Privacy Policies of Mobile Health Apps: Scale Development and Evaluation in Cancer Apps.
Synthesis in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness and acceptability of conversational agents for sexual health promotion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sexual health · 2022Pooled it
- Personal medical data protection of mobile pharmacy apps in China 2025: scale development and content analysis.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- A Proposal for a Robust Validated Weighted General Data Protection Regulation-Based Scale to Assess the Quality of Privacy Policies of Mobile Health Applications: An eDelphi Study.Methods of information in medicine · 2023Article
- Critical Criteria and Countermeasures for Mobile Health Developers to Ensure Mobile Health Privacy and Security: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Pulse Oximeter App Privacy Policies During COVID-19: Scoping Assessment.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Article
- Post-COVID Public Health Surveillance and Privacy Expectations in the United States: Scenario-Based Interview Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
- Examining Protection Motivation and Network Externality Perspective Regarding the Continued Intention to Use M-Health Apps.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Privacy Policy Compliance of Chronic Disease Management Apps in China: Scale Development and Content Evaluation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
- Analysis of Diabetes Apps to Assess Privacy-Related Permissions: Systematic Search of Apps.JMIR diabetes · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCancer patients are increasingly using mobile health (mHealth) apps to take control of their health. Many studies have explored their efficiency, content, usability, and adherence; however, these apps have created a new set of privacy challenges, as they store personal and sensitive data.
objectiveThe purpose of this study was to refine and evaluate a scale based on the General Data Protection Regulation and assess the fairness of privacy policies of mHealth apps.
methodsBased on the experience gained from our previous work, we redefined some of the items and scores of our privacy scale. Using the new version of our scale, we conducted a case study in which we analyzed the privacy policies of cancer Android apps. A systematic search of cancer mobile apps was performed in the Spanish version of the Google Play website.
resultsThe redefinition of certain items reduced discrepancies between reviewers. Thus, use of the scale was made easier, not only for the reviewers but also for any other potential users of our scale. Assessment of the privacy policies revealed that 29% (9/31) of the apps included in the study did not have a privacy policy, 32% (10/31) had a score over 50 out of a maximum of 100 points, and 39% (12/31) scored fewer than 50 points.
conclusionsIn this paper, we present a scale for the assessment of mHealth apps that is an improved version of our previous scale with adjusted scores. The results showed a lack of fairness in the mHealth app privacy policies that we examined, and the scale provides developers with a tool to evaluate their privacy policies.
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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.