Grupo Clinimetría (F-14), University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain.
Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2021 Dec 1;9(12):e15433. doi: 10.2196/15433.
There are several mobile health (mHealth) apps in mobile app stores. These apps enter the business-to-customer market with limited controls. Both, apps that users use autonomously and those designed to be recommended by practitioners require an end-user validation to minimize the risk of using apps that are ineffective or harmful. Prior studies have reviewed the most relevant aspects in a tool designed for assessing mHealth app quality, and different options have been developed for this purpose. However, the psychometric properties of the mHealth quality measurement tools, that is, the validity and reliability of the tools for their purpose, also need to be studied. The Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) initiative has developed tools for selecting the most suitable measurement instrument for health outcomes, and one of the main fields of study was their psychometric properties.
This study aims to address and psychometrically analyze, following the COSMIN guideline, the quality of the tools that are used to measure the quality of mHealth apps.
From February 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, 2 reviewers searched PubMed and Embase databases, identifying mHealth app quality measurement tools and all the validation studies associated with each of them. For inclusion, the studies had to be meant to validate a tool designed to assess mHealth apps. Studies that used these tools for the assessment of mHealth apps but did not include any psychometric validation were excluded. The measurement tools were analyzed according to the 10 psychometric properties described in the COSMIN guideline. The dimensions and items analyzed in each tool were also analyzed.
The initial search showed 3372 articles. Only 10 finally met the inclusion criteria and were chosen for analysis in this review, analyzing 8 measurement tools. Of these tools, 4 validated ≥5 psychometric properties defined in the COSMIN guideline. Although some of the tools only measure the usability dimension, other tools provide information such as engagement, esthetics, or functionality. Furthermore, 2 measurement tools, Mobile App Rating Scale and mHealth Apps Usability Questionnaire, have a user version, as well as a professional version.
The Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale and the Measurement Scales for Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use were the most validated tools, but they were very focused on usability. The Mobile App Rating Scale showed a moderate number of validated psychometric properties, measures a significant number of quality dimensions, and has been validated in a large number of mHealth apps, and its use is widespread. It is suggested that the continuation of the validation of this tool in other psychometric properties could provide an appropriate option for evaluating the quality of mHealth apps.
移动应用商店中有许多移动医疗（mHealth）应用程序。这些应用程序以有限的控制进入企业对客户市场。用户自主使用的应用程序和那些旨在由从业者推荐的应用程序都需要经过最终用户验证，以最大限度地降低使用无效或有害应用程序的风险。先前的研究已经在为评估 mHealth 应用程序质量而设计的工具中审查了最相关的方面，并为此目的开发了不同的选项。然而，mHealth 质量测量工具的心理测量特性，即工具针对其目的的有效性和可靠性，也需要进行研究。共识基础的健康测量仪器选择标准（COSMIN）倡议已经开发了用于选择最适合健康结果的测量仪器的工具，主要研究领域之一是它们的心理测量特性。
本研究旨在根据 COSMIN 指南解决并心理测量分析用于测量 mHealth 应用程序质量的工具的质量。
从 2019 年 2 月 1 日至 2019 年 12 月 31 日，2 名审查员搜索了 PubMed 和 Embase 数据库，确定了 mHealth 应用程序质量测量工具以及与每个工具相关的所有验证研究。为了纳入研究，这些研究必须旨在验证用于评估 mHealth 应用程序的工具。仅使用这些工具评估 mHealth 应用程序但不包括任何心理测量验证的研究被排除在外。根据 COSMIN 指南中描述的 10 种心理测量特性对测量工具进行了分析。还分析了每个工具中分析的维度和项目。
最初的搜索显示有 3372 篇文章。只有 10 篇最终符合纳入标准，并在本综述中进行了分析，共分析了 8 种测量工具。这些工具中，有 4 种工具验证了 COSMIN 指南中定义的≥5 种心理测量特性。尽管有些工具仅测量可用性维度，但其他工具提供了诸如参与度、美观度或功能性等信息。此外，有 2 种测量工具，即移动应用程序评分量表和移动健康应用程序可用性问卷，都有用户版本和专业版本。
健康信息技术可用性评估量表和感知有用性和易用性测量量表是最经过验证的工具，但它们非常专注于可用性。移动应用程序评分量表显示出相当数量的经过验证的心理测量特性，衡量了大量的质量维度，并已在大量 mHealth 应用程序中进行了验证，并且应用广泛。建议在其他心理测量特性中继续验证该工具，可以为评估 mHealth 应用程序的质量提供一个合适的选择。
