Skeens Micah A, Jackson Daniel I, Sutherland-Foggio Malcolm S, Sezgin Emre
The Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Dr, Columbus, OH, 43205, United States, 16147220000.
Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States.
JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2024 Oct 1;7:e58101. doi: 10.2196/58101.
The substantial increase in smartphone ownership has led to a rise in mobile health (mHealth) app use. Developing tailored features through mHealth apps creates a pathway to address the health care needs of pediatric patients with cancer and their families who have complex care needs. However, few apps are designed specifically to integrate with pediatric cancer care.
This study reports a systematic search and analysis of mHealth apps available on the Apple App (iOS) and Google Play (Android) stores designed for pediatric cancer through a list of features that serve (1) patients, (2) caregivers, or (3) both audiences.
Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we reviewed apps for pediatric patients with cancer and caregivers available as of January 30, 2024. We searched the Apple App and Google Play stores with a list of keyword combinations focusing on pediatric cancer care. The inclusion criteria were (1) specifically apps targeted toward pediatric patients with cancer, their families, or both; (2) available in either app store; and (3) available in English. Apps were assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). The MARS is a quality assessment for mHealth apps, including components of engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and informational quality (5-point Likert scale items-1: low and 5: high quality).
In total, 22 apps were identified and 17 of those apps were available on both platforms. The most popular features (n=12) were resource sharing, symptom tracking, reminders, care team connections, journaling, community support, medication tracking, data visualizations, and appointment tracking. Features and interfaces were designed for caregivers (n=9) more frequently than the patients (n=7) while a subset of apps created options for both users (n=6). A total of 16 apps received positive reviews (mean 4.4, SD 0.59; Min=3.1, Max=5.0). A small subset (n=3) achieved over 5000 downloads; however, the majority (n=15) had fewer than 500. More than half (n=12) of the apps were not available in English. Apps requested access to a range of device functionalities to operate (mean 2.72, SD 3.13; Min=0, Max=10). Out of 22, a total of 17 apps were publicly accessible. The mean MARS scores for the apps ranged from 1.71 (SD 0.75) to 4.33 (SD 0.82). Overall, apps scored high on functionality (mean 3.72, SD 0.54) but low on engagement (mean 3.02, SD 0.93).
Our review highlights the promising yet underdeveloped potential of mHealth apps in pediatric oncology care, underscoring the need for more inclusive, comprehensive, and integrative digital health solutions. Future developments should actively involve key stakeholders from the pediatric oncology community, including patients, families, and health care professionals, to ensure the apps meet specific needs while addressing linguistic and cultural barriers.
智能手机拥有量的大幅增长导致移动健康（mHealth）应用程序的使用增加。通过移动健康应用程序开发量身定制的功能，为满足癌症患儿及其有复杂护理需求的家庭的医疗保健需求开辟了一条途径。然而，专门设计用于与儿科癌症护理相结合的应用程序却很少。
本研究通过一系列为（1）患者、（2）护理人员或（3）这两类受众服务的功能列表，报告对苹果应用商店（iOS）和谷歌应用商店（安卓）上提供的针对儿科癌症的移动健康应用程序的系统搜索和分析。
遵循PRISMA（系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目）指南，我们审查了截至2024年1月30日可用于癌症患儿及其护理人员的应用程序。我们使用一系列侧重于儿科癌症护理的关键词组合在苹果应用商店和谷歌应用商店中进行搜索。纳入标准为：（1）专门针对癌症患儿、其家庭或两者的应用程序；（2）在任一应用商店中可用；（3）英文可用。应用程序使用移动应用程序评分量表（MARS）进行评估。MARS是对移动健康应用程序的质量评估，包括参与度、功能、美学和信息质量等组成部分（5点李克特量表项目，1：低质量，5：高质量）。
总共识别出22个应用程序，其中17个应用程序在两个平台上都可用。最受欢迎的功能（n = 12）是资源共享、症状跟踪、提醒、护理团队联系、日志记录、社区支持、药物跟踪、数据可视化和预约跟踪。功能和界面针对护理人员（n = 9）设计的频率高于患者（n = 7），而一部分应用程序为两者都创建了选项（n = 6）。共有16个应用程序获得了好评（平均4.4，标准差0.59；最小值 = 3.1，最大值 = 5.0）。一小部分（n = 3）应用程序的下载量超过了5000次；然而，大多数（n = 15）应用程序的下载量少于500次。超过一半（n = 12）的应用程序没有英文版本。应用程序请求访问一系列设备功能以进行操作（平均2.72，标准差3.13；最小值 = 0，最大值 = 10）。在22个应用程序中，共有17个应用程序是公开可用的。应用程序的平均MARS分数范围为1.71（标准差0.75）至4.33（标准差0.82）。总体而言，应用程序在功能方面得分较高（平均3.72，标准差0.54），但在参与度方面得分较低（平均3.02，标准差0.93）。
我们的综述强调了移动健康应用程序在儿科肿瘤护理中具有潜力但尚未充分开发，强调需要更多包容性、综合性和整合性的数字健康解决方案。未来的发展应积极让儿科肿瘤社区的关键利益相关者参与进来，包括患者、家庭和医疗保健专业人员，以确保应用程序在满足特定需求的同时解决语言和文化障碍。
