ReviewCanadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur2022
Do pain management apps use evidence-based psychological components? A systematic review of app content and quality.
Review in Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 5 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
20 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Evaluation of temporomandibular disorder self-management apps in Australia: a systematic review to inform clinical use.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2025Pooled it
- Could the use of web-based applications assist in neuropsychiatric treatment? An umbrella review.BMC psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Low back pain self-management mobile applications: a systematic review on digital platforms.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2024Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Adherence to Home-Practice Meditation Exercises in Patients with Chronic Pain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Patient-targeted smartphone applications for pain management: A review of brazilian app markets.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPooled it
- Chronic pain and mobile health: Are the apps that occupational therapists recommend of high quality?Australian occupational therapy journal · 2026Article
- Interprofessional, Integrative Approaches to Chronic Pain Management in Home-Based Medical Care.Clinics in geriatric medicine · 2026Review
- Winner of the Ronald Melzack-Canadian Journal of Pain Paper of the Year Award for 2024/Récipiendaire du Prix Ronald Melzack Pour L'Année 2024 Des Articles Parus Dans La Revue Canadienne de La Douleur.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2025Article
- A Reflexive Thematic Analysis Exploring the Experiences of People Using the Curable App for Chronic Pain.Pain research & management · 2025Article
- The biopsychosocial perspective on designing mobile health apps for self-management of chronic headaches.Health systems (Basingstoke, England) · 2025Article
- Telehealth and Virtual Reality Technologies in Chronic Pain Management: A Narrative Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- Don't judge a book or health app by its cover: User ratings and downloads are not linked to quality.PloS one · 2024Article
- Evaluating the Clinical Use and Utility of a Digital Support App for Employees With Chronic Pain Returning to Work (SWEPPE): Observational Study.JMIR human factors · 2023Observational
- Content and Quality of Mobile Apps for the Monitoring of Musculoskeletal or Neuropathic Pain in Australia: Systematic Evaluation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Maintaining Engagement in Adults with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 to Use the iCanCope Mobile Application (iCanCope-NF).Cancers · 2023Article
- A Review of Chronic Pain and Device Interventions: Benefits and Future Directions.Pain and therapy · 2023Review
- Perspective on salutogenic approaches to persistent pain with a focus on mindfulness interventions.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Mobile App Prototype in Older Adults for Postfracture Acute Pain Management: User-Centered Design Approach.JMIR aging · 2022Article
- Toward a digital citizen lab for capturing data about alternative ways of self-managing chronic pain: An attitudinal user study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2022Article
- PaiNEd app. Assessing central sensitization in survivors of breast cancer: A reliability study.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: With hundreds of pain management apps on the Canadian marketplace, it can be challenging for patients and clinicians to select effective and evidence-based mobile health (mHealth) apps that address pain from a biopsychosocial perspective. Aims: The aim of this study is to identify pain management apps within the Canadian app marketplaces to aid clinicians in recommending apps. Methods: The iOS and Android marketplaces were systematically searched to identify pain management apps that included at least one core component of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or mindfulness- and acceptance-based therapies. Selected apps were assessed using a researcher developed psychological components checklist, and the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). These two measures provided a robust assessment of the apps' technical abilities and psychological principles being implemented. Results: Five hundred eight pain management apps were identified, yet only 12 included a psychological component and were available for evaluation. On average, apps contained 8.10 out of 18 psychological components (SD = 2.77) with a MARS quality rating of 4.02 out of 5 (SD = 0.32). The most common psychological components were grounded in CBT, including psychoeducation, sleep hygiene, behavioral activation, coping skills training, and social support. Among the least commonly included components were goal setting, values, and culture/diversity. Two-thirds of the apps involved health care practitioners in their development, but independent scientific review of apps was scarce. Conclusion: The highest scoring apps (Curable, Pathways, Vivify) are highlighted for health care practitioners who may wish to recommend mHealth technologies to their patients for pain management. Future directions for research and app development are discussed.
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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.