Fairburn Christopher G, Rothwell Emily R
University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Int J Eat Disord. 2015 Nov;48(7):1038-46. doi: 10.1002/eat.22398. Epub 2015 Feb 27.
Smartphone applications (apps) are proliferating and health-related apps are particularly popular. The aim of this study was to identify, characterize, and evaluate the clinical utility of apps designed either for people with eating disorders or for eating disorder professionals.
A search of the major app stores identified 805 potentially relevant apps, of which 39 were primarily designed for people with eating disorders and five for professionals.
The apps for people with eating disorders had four main functions. Most common was the provision of advice, the quality of which ranged from sound to potentially harmful. Five apps included self-assessment tools but only two used methods that would generally be viewed as reliable. Four apps had the self-monitoring of eating habits as a major feature. Entering information into these apps could be accomplished with varying degrees of ease, but viewing it was more difficult. One app allowed the transfer of information between patients and clinicians.
The enthusiasm for apps outstrips the evidence supporting their use. Given their popularity, it is suggested that clinicians evaluate app use as part of routine assessment. The clinical utility of the existing apps is not clear. Some are capable of tracking key features over time, but none has the functions required for analytic self-monitoring as in cognitive behavioral treatments. The full potential of apps has yet to be realized. Specialized apps could be designed to augment various forms of treatment, and there is the possibility that they could deliver an entire personalized intervention.
智能手机应用程序（应用）正在激增，与健康相关的应用尤其受欢迎。本研究的目的是识别、描述和评估为饮食失调患者或饮食失调专业人员设计的应用的临床效用。
在主要应用商店进行搜索，识别出805个潜在相关应用，其中39个主要为饮食失调患者设计，5个为专业人员设计。
为饮食失调患者设计的应用有四个主要功能。最常见的是提供建议，其质量从合理到可能有害不等。五个应用包括自我评估工具，但只有两个使用的方法通常被认为是可靠的。四个应用将饮食习惯的自我监测作为主要功能。在这些应用中输入信息的难易程度各不相同，但查看信息则更困难。一个应用允许患者和临床医生之间传输信息。
对应用的热情超过了支持其使用的证据。鉴于其受欢迎程度，建议临床医生将应用的使用评估作为常规评估的一部分。现有应用的临床效用尚不清楚。有些应用能够随着时间推移跟踪关键特征，但没有一个具有认知行为治疗中分析性自我监测所需的功能。应用的全部潜力尚未实现。可以设计专门的应用来增强各种形式的治疗，并且它们有可能提供完整的个性化干预。
