SynthesisJournal of medical systems2020
A Systematic Review of Smartphone Applications Available for Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID19) and the Assessment of their Quality Using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS).
Synthesis in Journal of medical systems, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 86 papers, 10 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
86 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Evaluation of fatty liver disease self-care applications: a systematic review and evaluation of apps using the mobile application rating scale (MARS).BMC gastroenterology · 2026Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Health Management Mobile Applications in COVID-19 Pandemic: Features, Advantages, and Disadvantages.BioMed research international · 2024Pooled it
- Data Management and Privacy Policy of COVID-19 Contact-Tracing Apps: Systematic Review and Content Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- Monitoring Symptoms of COVID-19: Review of Mobile Apps.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- Factors Influencing the Adoption of Contact Tracing Applications: Systematic Review and Recommendations.Frontiers in digital health · 2022Pooled it
- COVID-19 Mobile Health Apps: An Overview of Mobile Applications in Indonesia.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Quality and Adoption of COVID-19 Tracing Apps and Recommendations for Development: Systematic Interdisciplinary Review of European Apps.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Implementing Public Health Strategies-The Need for Educational Initiatives: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- COVID-19 Mobile Apps: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Telemedicine Adoption for Managing Chronic and Rare Diseases in Indonesia During and Beyond the COVID-19 Era: Qualitative Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Users' Needs for Mental Health Apps: Quality Evaluation Using the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Trustworthiness of Web-Based Pharmacy Apps in Pakistan Based on the Mobile App Rating Scale: Content Analysis and Quality Evaluation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- A scoping review of the reporting quality of reviews of commercially and publicly available mobile health apps.JAMIA open · 2025Review
- Mobile applications available in Saudi Arabia for the management of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A quality review and content analysis.PloS one · 2025Article
- The Use of COVID-19 Mobile Apps in Connecting Patients with Primary Healthcare in 30 Countries: Eurodata Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Short- and Long-Term Predicted and Witnessed Consequences of Digital Surveillance During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Article
- Evaluation of Mobile Applications for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Mobile Apps for COVID-19: A Systematic Review of Reviews.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Assessment of online pharmacy applications in India by employing the mobile application rating scale.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
26 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The global impact of COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid development and utilization of mobile health applications. These are addressing the unmet needs of healthcare and public health system including contact tracing, health information dissemination, symptom checking and providing tools for training healthcare providers. Here we provide an overview of mobile applications being currently utilized for COVID-19 and their assessment using the Mobile Application Rating Scale. We performed a systematic review of the literature and mobile platforms to assess mobile applications currently utilized for COVID-19, and a quality assessment of these applications using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) for overall quality, Engagement, Functionality, Aesthetics, and Information. Finally, we provide an overview of the key salient features that should be included in mobile applications being developed for future use. Our search identified 63 apps that are currently being used for COVID-19. Of these, 25 were selected from the Google play store and Apple App store in India, and 19 each from the UK and US. 18 apps were developed for sharing up to date information on COVID-19, and 8 were used for contact tracing while 9 apps showed features of both. On MARS Scale, overall scores ranged from 2.4 to 4.8 with apps scoring high in areas of functionality and lower in Engagement. Future steps should involve developing and testing of mobile applications using assessment tools like the MARS scale and the study of their impact on health behaviours and outcomes.
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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.