Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38684083›Full record

ArticleJMIR formative research2024

Attributes, Quality, and Downloads of Dementia-Related Mobile Apps for Patients With Dementia and Their Caregivers: App Review and Evaluation Study.

Tzu Han Chen, Shin-Da Lee, Wei-Fen Ma

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Article in JMIR formative research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Tzu Han ChenPhD Program for Health Science and Industry, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9764-2816
Shin-Da LeePhD Program in Healthcare Science, Department of Physical Therapy, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8393-8349
Wei-Fen MaPhD Program in Healthcare Science, School of Nursing, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8203-5909

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe adoption of mobile health (mHealth) apps among older adults (>65 years) is rapidly increasing. However, use of such apps has not been fully effective in supporting people with dementia and their caregivers in their daily lives. This is mainly attributed to the heterogeneous quality of mHealth apps, highlighting the need for improved app quality in the development of dementia-related mHealth apps.

objectiveThe aims of this study were (1) to assess the quality and content of mobile apps for dementia management and (2) to investigate the relationship between app quality and download numbers.

methodsWe reviewed dementia-related mHealth apps available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in Taiwan. The identified mobile apps were stratified according to a random sampling approach and evaluated by five independent reviewers with sufficient training and proficiency in the field of mHealth and the related health care sector. App quality was scored according to the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. A correlation analysis was then performed between the app quality score and number of app downloads.

resultsAmong the 17 apps that were evaluated, only one was specifically designed to provide dementia-related education. The mean score for the overall app quality was 3.35 (SD 0.56), with the engagement (mean 3.04, SD 0.82) and information (mean 3.14, SD 0.88) sections of the scale receiving the lowest ratings. Our analyses showed clear differences between the top three- and bottom three-rated apps, particularly in the entertainment and interest subsections of the engagement category where the ratings ranged from 1.4 to 5. The top three apps had a common feature in their interface, which included memory, attention, focus, calculation, and speed-training games, whereas the apps that received lower ratings were found to be deficient in providing adequate information. Although there was a correlation between the number of downloads (5000 or more) and app quality (t

conclusionsThe quality of dementia-related mHealth apps is highly variable. In particular, our results show that the top three quality apps performed well in terms of engagement and information, and they all received more than 5000 downloads. The findings of this study are limited due to the small sample size and possibility of disregarding exceptional occurrences. Publicly available expert ratings of mobile apps could help people with dementia and their caregivers choose a quality mHealth app.

Indexed as

adoptionagingapp qualitycaregiverdementiadevelopmentdigital healthgeriatricsmanagementmHealthmobile appmobile healthpatientseniorstechnology

Identifiers

PMID38684083
PMCPMC11091808

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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.