Pandey Ambarish, Hasan Sayeedul, Dubey Divyanshu, Sarangi Sasmit
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
J Cancer Educ. 2013 Mar;28(1):138-42. doi: 10.1007/s13187-012-0446-9.
There is an increased interest in smartphone applications as a tool for delivery of health-care information. There have been no studies which evaluated the availability and content of cancer-related smartphone applications. This study aims to identify and analyze cancer-related applications available on the Apple iTunes platform. The Apple iTunes store was searched for cancer-related smartphone applications on July 29, 2011. The content of the applications was analyzed for cost, type of information, validity, and involvement of health-care agencies. A total of 77 relevant applications were identified. There were 24.6 % apps uploaded by health-care agencies, and 36 % of the apps were aimed at health-care workers. Among the apps, 55.8 % provided scientifically validated data. The difference in scientific validity between the apps aimed at general population versus health-care professionals was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Seventy-nine percent of the apps uploaded by health-care agencies were found to be backed by scientific data. There is lack of cancer-related applications with scientifically backed data. There is a need to improve the accountability and reliability of cancer-related smartphone applications and encourage participation by health-care agencies to ensure patient safety.
人们对将智能手机应用程序作为提供医疗保健信息的工具越来越感兴趣。目前尚无评估癌症相关智能手机应用程序的可用性和内容的研究。本研究旨在识别和分析苹果iTunes平台上可用的癌症相关应用程序。2011年7月29日，在苹果iTunes商店中搜索了癌症相关的智能手机应用程序。对应用程序的内容进行了成本、信息类型、有效性以及医疗保健机构参与情况的分析。共识别出77个相关应用程序。其中24.6%的应用程序由医疗保健机构上传，36%的应用程序面向医疗保健工作者。在这些应用程序中，55.8%提供了经过科学验证的数据。面向普通人群的应用程序与面向医疗保健专业人员的应用程序在科学有效性上的差异具有统计学意义（P < 0.01）。发现由医疗保健机构上传的应用程序中有79%有科学数据支持。缺乏有科学数据支持的癌症相关应用程序。有必要提高癌症相关智能手机应用程序的问责制和可靠性，并鼓励医疗保健机构参与以确保患者安全。
