ArticleDigital health
Mobile phone apps for family caregivers: A scoping review and qualitative content analysis.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Understanding the effectiveness and design of parent-oriented mobile health interventions: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.BMC pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the Feasibility of a Mobile App-Delivered Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Caregiver Stress.The Gerontologist · 2025Trial
- An app-based just-in-time-adaptive self-management intervention for care partners: The CareQOL feasibility pilot study.Rehabilitation psychology · 2022Trial
- Technology-Enhanced Health Care in Smart Homes: Scoping Review of Sensor Technologies, Clinical Applications, Integration Challenges, and Future Directions.JMIR medical informatics · 2026Article
- An App for Care Partners of Persons Living With Dementia (Aliviado Caregiving): Human-Centered Design Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Caregivers' Early Experiences Using CareMobi: An mHealth Application to Support Care Coordination.Western journal of nursing research · 2026Article
- Application-Based Interventions for Family Caregivers of Older Adults: Scoping Review.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Interactive mHealth Applications for Caregiver Training in Urinary Catheterization: A Scoping Review.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Review
- A mobile app (mWITH ME) for family caregivers of persons living with Alzheimer's disease: development and initial evaluation.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
- Packing for the journey: translating practice development into the digital realm.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Evaluation of medical education mobile apps with MARS and MARuL in a TPACK informed model.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Stress and Well-Being Intervention and mHealth Delivery Adaptation for Latinx Millennial Caregivers: Qualitative User-Centered Design Approach.JMIR nursing · 2025Article
- mHealth Apps for Family Caregivers of Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review.Iranian journal of public health · 2025Review
- Low-Tech Telemedicine Reduces Caregiver Burden and Improves Outcomes in Older Adults with Chronic Diseases: Results from a Prospective Study in Romania.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Type and efficacy of online training for informal carers: a narrative review.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Supporting caregivers of people with dementia: insights from Demensia KITA mobile application online content development.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Design of a Dyadic Digital Health Module for Chronic Disease Shared Care: Development Study.JMIR human factors · 2023Article
- Designing and Evaluating IT Applications for Informal Caregivers: Protocol for a Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Dealing with Loved Ones' Addiction: Development of an App to Cope with Caregivers' Stress.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe growth of mHealth apps has been exponential in recent years, but there is limited knowledge regarding the availability, functionality, and quality of apps to support family caregivers. Our objectives were to identify the apps currently available to support family caregivers and to analyze the app functions and evaluation claims.
methodsThis scoping review was conducted across the iOS, Android, and Windows Phone app stores in three steps: (1) electronic app search; (2) iterative inclusion and exclusion criteria development; (3) mixed-method analysis of app characteristics and evaluation claims.
resultsThe search identified 1008 apps; 175 met our inclusion/exclusion criteria. Most apps offered either one (36%, 63/175) or two (41%, 71/175) specific functions, the most common of which were access to service and provider directories, providing patient-caring tips, and tools to facilitate daily activities associated with caring for a loved one. For fully two-thirds (67%, 118/175) of the identified apps, the functions serve to assist caregivers to support the care recipient as opposed to supporting the family caregivers themselves.
conclusionsThe findings of this review indicate that, while a wide range of family caregiver apps are now available across the mHealth landscape, most apps offer limited functionality. Therefore, there is a need for multi-functionality to avoid the inherent challenges that caregivers may experience when navigating and managing multiple apps to meet all their various needs. Moreover, as this specific niche continues to develop, greater attention should be devoted to supporting family caregivers' own personal care needs as caregiver burden is a pressing challenge.
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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.