Lewis Rachel A, Lunney Meaghan, Chong Christy, Tonelli Marcello
Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada.
Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada.
Can J Kidney Health Dis. 2019 Mar 13;6:2054358119834283. doi: 10.1177/2054358119834283. eCollection 2019.
A growing number of mobile applications (apps) target people with chronic illness as the primary user. There is increasing evidence that digital technology can improve health outcomes for users but the sheer number of apps available is likely to overwhelm many potential users.
The purpose of this study was to systematically search for apps aimed at people with chronic kidney disease. An important secondary objective was to develop a search strategy that could be used to identify similar apps in the future.
A systematic review of the scientific and gray literature including app stores, clearinghouses, and Google.
SETTING/PATIENTS: The focus of this research was the identification of apps that may be of use to people interested in self-management of chronic kidney disease.
Three reviewers independently searched app stores, websites, and databases to identify apps of potential interest and any information related to the function and efficacy of these. Apps that met the inclusion criteria were short-listed, reviewed in more detail, and cross-referenced with other sources such as clearinghouses, Google, and kidney care organizations. A population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and design framework was used to search selected databases.
Of the 1464 apps purporting to be for chronic kidney disease, only 15 were eligible for inclusion. Searching the 2 major app stores (iOS and Android) appeared to be the most productive way of identifying apps of potential interest. An increasing number of public and private clearinghouses have been established to assist users with finding apps. Privacy and security of user information is a particular and valid concern of health care professionals and organizations.
The breadth and depth of information relating to each app varied and made it difficult to systematize the evaluation of apps. Due to the large number of health care apps and the challenges to searching app stores and websites, it is possible that some apps were missed during our searches. Similarly, while there are many kidney care-related websites that contain useful information, these were not captured by our study.
There are very few available apps aimed specifically at people with chronic kidney disease; those that are available are best identified by manually searching the 2 major app stores. Privacy and confidentiality of user information when using the apps is a concern among health care providers in particular.
越来越多的移动应用程序（应用）将慢性病患者作为主要用户群体。越来越多的证据表明，数字技术可以改善用户的健康状况，但可用应用的数量之多可能会让许多潜在用户应接不暇。
本研究旨在系统搜索针对慢性肾脏病患者的应用。一个重要的次要目的是制定一种搜索策略，以便未来用于识别类似的应用。
对科学文献和灰色文献进行系统综述，包括应用商店、信息交换中心和谷歌。
设置/患者：本研究的重点是识别可能对有兴趣自我管理慢性肾脏病的人有用的应用。
三名评审员独立搜索应用商店、网站和数据库，以识别潜在感兴趣的应用以及与这些应用的功能和功效相关的任何信息。符合纳入标准的应用被列入候选名单，进行更详细的审查，并与信息交换中心、谷歌和肾脏护理组织等其他来源进行交叉参考。使用人群、干预措施、对照、结局和设计框架来搜索选定的数据库。
在声称用于慢性肾脏病的1464个应用中，只有15个符合纳入条件。搜索两大应用商店（iOS和安卓）似乎是识别潜在感兴趣应用的最有效方法。越来越多的公共和私人信息交换中心已建立起来，以帮助用户查找应用。用户信息的隐私和安全是医疗保健专业人员和组织特别且合理的关注点。
与每个应用相关的信息广度和深度各不相同，这使得难以对应用的评估进行系统化。由于医疗保健应用数量众多，以及搜索应用商店和网站存在挑战，我们的搜索过程中可能遗漏了一些应用。同样，虽然有许多与肾脏护理相关的网站包含有用信息，但我们的研究并未涵盖这些内容。
专门针对慢性肾脏病患者的可用应用非常少；最好通过手动搜索两大应用商店来识别那些可用的应用。特别是在医疗保健提供者中，使用应用时用户信息的隐私和保密性是一个令人担忧的问题。
