School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia.
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020 Feb 3;8(2):e16741. doi: 10.2196/16741.
More than a million health and well-being apps are available from the Apple and Google app stores. Some apps use built-in mobile phone sensors to generate health data. Clinicians and patients can find information regarding safe and effective mobile health (mHealth) apps in third party-curated mHealth app libraries.
These independent Web-based repositories guide app selection from trusted lists, but do they offer apps using ubiquitous, low-cost smartphone sensors to improve health? This study aimed to identify the types of built-in mobile phone sensors used in apps listed on curated health app libraries, the range of health conditions these apps address, and the cross-platform availability of the apps.
This systematic survey reviewed three such repositories (National Health Service Apps Library, AppScript, and MyHealthApps), assessing the availability of apps using built-in mobile phone sensors for the diagnosis or treatment of health conditions.
A total of 18 such apps were identified and included in this survey, representing 1.1% (8/699) to 3% (2/76) of all apps offered by the respective libraries examined. About one-third (7/18, 39%) of the identified apps offered cross-platform Apple and Android versions, with a further 50% (9/18) only dedicated to Apple and 11% (2/18) to Android. About one-fourth (4/18, 22%) of the identified apps offered dedicated diagnostic functions, with a majority featuring therapeutic (9/18, 50%) or combined functionality (5/18, 28%). Cameras, touch screens, and microphones were the most frequently used built-in sensors. Health concerns addressed by these apps included respiratory, dermatological, neurological, and anxiety conditions.
Diligent mHealth app library curation, medical device regulation constraints, and cross-platform differences in mobile phone sensor architectures may all contribute to the observed limited availability of mHealth apps using built-in phone sensors in curated mHealth app libraries. However, more efforts are needed to increase the number of such apps on curated lists, as they offer easily accessible low-cost options to assist people in managing clinical conditions.
苹果和谷歌应用商店提供了超过 100 万款健康和福祉应用。一些应用使用内置手机传感器来生成健康数据。临床医生和患者可以在第三方策划的移动健康 (mHealth) 应用库中找到有关安全有效的移动健康 (mHealth) 应用的信息。
这些独立的基于网络的存储库从可信列表中指导应用程序的选择，但它们是否提供使用无处不在、低成本的智能手机传感器来改善健康的应用程序？本研究旨在确定在策划的健康应用库中列出的应用程序中使用的内置手机传感器的类型、这些应用程序解决的健康状况范围以及应用程序的跨平台可用性。
这项系统调查审查了三个这样的存储库（国家卫生服务应用程序库、AppScript 和 MyHealthApps），评估了用于诊断或治疗健康状况的内置手机传感器的应用程序的可用性。
共确定了 18 个这样的应用程序，并包含在本次调查中，分别占所审查的各个库中提供的所有应用程序的 1.1%（8/699）到 3%（2/76）。所确定的应用程序中有三分之一（7/18，39%）提供跨平台的苹果和安卓版本，另有 50%（9/18）仅针对苹果，11%（2/18）仅针对安卓。所确定的应用程序中有四分之一（4/18，22%）提供专用诊断功能，其中大多数具有治疗功能（9/18，50%）或兼具治疗和诊断功能（5/18，28%）。摄像头、触摸屏和麦克风是最常使用的内置传感器。这些应用程序解决的健康问题包括呼吸、皮肤、神经和焦虑疾病。
精心策划的 mHealth 应用程序库、医疗器械监管限制以及移动电话传感器架构的跨平台差异，都可能导致在策划的 mHealth 应用程序库中使用内置电话传感器的 mHealth 应用程序的可用性有限。然而，需要做出更多努力来增加策划列表中的此类应用程序数量，因为它们提供了易于访问的低成本选项，以帮助人们管理临床状况。
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