ArticleBMC digital health2023
Mobile applications in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic: systematic search, use case mapping, and quality assessment using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS).
Article in BMC digital health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Mobile Apps for Common Noncommunicable Disease Management: Systematic Search in App Stores and Evaluation Using the Mobile App Rating Scale.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Pooled it
- A vital physiological parameter mobile monitoring system for elderly patients in remote areas.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: In the Philippines, various mobile health apps were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic with very little knowledge in terms of their quality. The aims of this paper were 1) to systemically search for mobile apps with COVID-19 pandemic use case that are implemented in the Philippines; 2) to assess the apps using Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS); and 3) to identify the critical points for future improvements of these apps. Methods: To identify existing mobile applications with COVID-19 pandemic use case employed in the Philippines, Google Play and Apple App Stores were systematically searched. Further search was conducted using the Google Search. Data were extracted from the app web store profile and apps were categorized according to use cases. Mobile apps that met the inclusion criteria were independently assessed and scored by two researchers using the MARS-a 23-item, expert-based rating scale for assessing the quality of mHealth applications. Results: A total of 27 apps were identified and assessed using MARS. The majority of the apps are designed for managing exposure to COVID-19 and for promoting health monitoring. The overall MARS score of all the apps is 3.62 points (SD 0.7), with a maximum score of 4.7 for an app used for telehealth and a minimum of 2.3 for a COVID-19 health declaration app. The majority ( Conclusions: There is a heterogenous quality of mHealth apps implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. The study also identified areas to better improve the tools. Considering that mHealth is expected to be an integral part of the healthcare system post-pandemic, the results warrant better policies and guidance in the development and implementation to ensure quality across the board and as a result, positively impact health outcomes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s44247-023-00007-2.
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