Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33605884›Full record

ArticleJMIR aging2021

Mobile Apps for Older Adults: Systematic Search and Evaluation Within Online Stores.

Alexandra A Portenhauser, Yannik Terhorst, Dana Schultchen, Lasse B Sander, Michael D Denkinger, Michael Stach, Natalie Waldherr, Dhayana Dallmeier, Harald Baumeister, Eva-Maria Messner

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR aging, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  14. A systematic quality rating of available mobile health apps for borderline personality disorder.Borderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation · 2022
    Article
  15. Are Mobile Apps in Geriatric Mental Health Worth the Effort?The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Alexandra A PortenhauserDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2946-3474
Yannik TerhorstDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4091-5048
Dana SchultchenDepartment of Clinical and Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5623-535X
Lasse B SanderDepartment of Rehabilitation Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4222-9837
Michael D DenkingerAgaplesion Bethesda Clinic, Geriatric Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8097-060X
Michael StachInstitute of Databases and Information Systems, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9422-5523
Natalie WaldherrAgaplesion Bethesda Clinic, Geriatric Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3986-6031
Dhayana DallmeierAgaplesion Bethesda Clinic, Geriatric Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3665-7023
Harald BaumeisterDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2040-661X
Eva-Maria MessnerDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6100-8354

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThrough the increasingly aging population, the health care system is confronted with various challenges such as expanding health care costs. To manage these challenges, mobile apps may represent a cost-effective and low-threshold approach to support older adults.

objectiveThis systematic review aimed to evaluate the quality, characteristics, as well as privacy and security measures of mobile apps for older adults in the European commercial app stores.

methodsIn the European Google Play and App Store, a web crawler systematically searched for mobile apps for older adults. The identified mobile apps were evaluated by two independent reviewers using the German version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. A correlation between the user star rating and overall rating was calculated. An exploratory regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the obligation to pay fees predicted overall quality.

resultsIn total, 83 of 1217 identified mobile apps were included in the analysis. Generally, the mobile apps for older adults were of moderate quality (mean 3.22 [SD 0.68]). Four mobile apps (5%) were evidence-based; 49% (41/83) had no security measures. The user star rating correlated significantly positively with the overall rating (r=.30, P=.01). Obligation to pay fees could not predict overall quality.

conclusionsThere is an extensive quality range within mobile apps for older adults, indicating deficits in terms of information quality, data protection, and security precautions, as well as a lack of evidence-based approaches. Central databases are needed to identify high-quality mobile apps.

Indexed as

agingappsMARSMARS-GmHealthmobile appsolder adults

Identifiers

PMID33605884
PMCPMC8081158

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.