SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2022
Mobile Apps for the Management of Gastrointestinal Diseases: Systematic Search and Evaluation Within App Stores.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Influencing Factors of Mobile Health Apps in Kidney Transplant Care: Systematic Review Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.JMIR medical informatics · 2026Pooled it
- Digital Health Interventions Are Effective for Irritable Bowel Syndrome Self-Management: A Systematic Review.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Mobile app improves treatment of functional constipation in children: a randomized single-blind study.BMC pediatrics · 2025Trial
- A Responsible AI Readiness Framework for Digital Self-Management Platforms: Illustrative Application to a Rule-Based GERD Platform.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Mobile Applications for Sepsis-Related Healthcare: A Systematic Search and Evaluation Within App Stores.Health science reports · 2026Article
- From Isolation to Information: Launching an Online Community for Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Primary Biliary Cholangitis, and Autoimmune Hepatitis in Romania-A Descriptive Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Cluster-Based Predictive Modeling of User Ratings for Physical Activity Apps Using Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) Dimensions: Model Development and Validation.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Emerging innovation, artificial intelligence, and digital technology in esophagology.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Review
- Enhancing Self-Care Education in Celiac Disease Through Mobile Health: A Systematic Review.Health science reports · 2025Review
- Reviewing Mobile Apps for Teaching Human Anatomy: Search and Quality Evaluation Study.JMIR medical education · 2025Article
- Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) in Digestive Healthcare: Regulatory Challenges and Ethical Implications.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Mobile Apps for Patients with Peritoneal Dialysis: Systematic App Search and Evaluation.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- mHealth and COVID-19: A Bibliometric Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Systematic evaluation of content and quality of English and German pain apps in European app stores.Internet interventions · 2021Article
- Data requirements of an informative, directive, and preventive mobile health application for gastric cancer.Digital healthReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGastrointestinal diseases are associated with substantial cost in health care. In times of the COVID-19 pandemic and further digitalization of gastrointestinal tract health care, mobile health apps could complement routine health care. Many gastrointestinal health care apps are already available in the app stores, but the quality, data protection, and reliability often remain unclear.
objectiveThis systematic review aimed to evaluate the quality characteristics as well as the privacy and security measures of mobile health apps for the management of gastrointestinal diseases.
methodsA web crawler systematically searched for mobile health apps with a focus on gastrointestinal diseases. The identified mobile health apps were evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). Furthermore, app characteristics, data protection, and security measures were collected. Classic user star rating was correlated with overall mobile health app quality.
resultsThe overall quality of the mobile health apps (N=109) was moderate (mean 2.90, SD 0.52; on a scale ranging from 1 to 5). The quality of the subscales ranged from low (mean 1.89, SD 0.66) to good (mean 4.08, SD 0.57). The security of data transfer was ensured only by 11 (10.1%) mobile health apps. None of the mobile health apps had an evidence base. The user star rating did not correlate with the MARS overall score or with the individual subdimensions of the MARS (all P>.05).
conclusionsMobile health apps might have a positive impact on diagnosis, therapy, and patient guidance in gastroenterology in the future. We conclude that, to date, data security and proof of efficacy are not yet given in currently available mobile health apps.
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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.