NetwellCASALA Advanced Research Centre, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Ireland.
CCT College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021 Nov 2;9(11):e30674. doi: 10.2196/30674.
Managing the care of older adults with heart failure (HF) largely centers on medication management. Because of frequent medication or dosing changes, an app that supports these older adults in keeping an up-to-date list of medications could be advantageous. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HF outpatient consultations are taking place virtually or by telephone. An app with the capability to share a patient's medication list with health care professionals before consultation could support clinical efficiency, for example, by reducing consultation time. However, the influence of apps on maintaining an up-to-date medication history for older adults with HF in Ireland remains largely unexplored.
The aims of this review are twofold: to review apps with a medication list functionality and to assess the quality of the apps included in the review using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics functionality scale.
A systematic search of apps was conducted in June 2019 using the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store. The MARS was used independently by 4 researchers to assess the quality of the apps using an Android phone and an iPad. Apps were also evaluated using the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics functionality score.
Google Play and iTunes App store searches identified 483 potential apps (292 from Google Play and 191 from iTunes App stores). A total of 6 apps (3 across both stores) met the inclusion criteria. Of the 6 apps, 4 achieved an acceptable MARS score (3/5). The Medisafe app had the highest overall MARS score (4/5), and the Medication List & Medical Records app had the lowest overall score (2.5/5). On average, the apps had 8 functions based on the IMS functionality criteria (range 5-11). A total of 2 apps achieved the maximum score for number of features (11 features) according to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics functionality score, and 2 scored the lowest (5 features). Peer-reviewed publications were identified for 3 of the apps.
The quality of current apps with medication list functionality varies according to their technical aspects. Most of the apps reviewed have an acceptable MARS objective quality (ie, the overall quality of an app). However, subjective quality (ie, satisfaction with the apps) was poor. Only 3 apps are based on scientific evidence and have been tested previously. A total of 2 apps featured all the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics functionalities, and half did not provide clear instructions on how to enter medication data, did not display vital parameter data in an easy-to-understand format, and did not guide users on how or when to take their medication.
管理心力衰竭（HF）老年患者的护理主要集中在药物管理上。由于经常需要更改药物或剂量，因此开发一款能够帮助这些老年患者及时更新药物清单的应用程序可能会很有优势。在 COVID-19 大流行期间，HF 门诊咨询主要通过虚拟或电话进行。在咨询前，具有与医疗保健专业人员共享患者药物清单功能的应用程序可以支持临床效率，例如，减少咨询时间。然而，在爱尔兰，应用程序对 HF 老年患者保持最新药物史的影响在很大程度上仍未得到探索。
本综述的目的有两个：一是对具有药物清单功能的应用程序进行综述，二是使用移动应用程序评级量表（MARS）和 IMS 医疗保健信息学功能量表评估综述中包含的应用程序的质量。
2019 年 6 月，我们使用 Google Play 商店和 iTunes App Store 对应用程序进行了系统搜索。使用 4 位研究人员分别使用 Android 手机和平板电脑上的 MARS 独立评估应用程序的质量。还使用 IMS 医疗保健信息学功能评分评估了应用程序。
Google Play 和 iTunes App Store 搜索共确定了 483 个潜在应用程序（来自 Google Play 的 292 个和来自 iTunes App Store 的 191 个）。共有 6 个应用程序（来自两个商店各 3 个）符合纳入标准。在这 6 个应用程序中，有 4 个应用程序获得了可接受的 MARS 评分（3/5）。Medisafe 应用程序的总体 MARS 评分最高（4/5），而 Medication List & Medical Records 应用程序的总体评分最低（2.5/5）。平均而言，根据 IMS 功能标准，这些应用程序具有 8 种功能（范围为 5-11）。根据 IMS 医疗保健信息学功能评分，有 2 个应用程序获得了 11 个功能特征的最高分（11 个特征），有 2 个应用程序获得了最低分（5 个特征）。为其中 3 个应用程序找到了同行评审出版物。
具有药物清单功能的当前应用程序的质量根据其技术方面而有所不同。大多数经审查的应用程序都具有可接受的 MARS 客观质量（即应用程序的整体质量）。但是，主观质量（即对应用程序的满意度）较差。只有 3 个应用程序基于科学证据，并已事先进行了测试。有 2 个应用程序具有所有 IMS 医疗保健信息学功能，而有一半应用程序未提供如何输入药物数据的清晰说明，未以易于理解的格式显示重要参数数据，也未指导用户如何或何时服药。
