Cited by 231Mobile Health and mHealth ApplicationsDigital Mental Health InterventionsHealth, Technology, Consumer Behavior

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 59 of the 62 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Criteria for assessing the quality of mHealth apps: a systematic review

Open access

Nouri, Rasool, R Niakan Kalhori, Sharareh, Ghazisaeedi, Marjan, Marchand, Guillaume, Yasini, Mobin·2018·Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association

DOI 10.1093/jamia/ocy050PMC PMC7646896

Open this paper in CoChat — free account Open PDF

Abstract

Objective: Review the existing studies including an assessment tool/method to assess the quality of mHealth apps; extract their criteria; and provide a classification of the collected criteria. Methods: In accordance with the PRISMA statement, a literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBase, ISI and Scopus for English language citations published from January 1, 2008 to December 22, 2016 for studies including tools or methods for quality assessment of mHealth apps. Two researchers screened the titles and abstracts of all retrieved citations against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The full text of relevant papers was then individually examined by the same researchers. A senior researcher resolved eventual disagreements and confirmed the relevance of all included papers. The authors, date of publication, subject fields of target mHealth apps, development method, and assessment criteria were extracted from each paper. The extracted assessment criteria were then reviewed, compared, and classified by an expert panel of two medical informatics specialists and two health information management specialists. Results: Twenty-three papers were included in the review. Thirty-eight main classes of assessment criteria were identified. These were reorganized by expert panel into 7 main classes (Design, Information/Content, Usability, Functionality, Ethical Issues, Security and Privacy, and User-perceived value) with 37 sub-classes of criteria. Conclusions: There is a wide heterogeneity in assessment criteria for mHealth apps. It is necessary to define the exact meanings and degree of distinctness of each criterion. This will help to improve the existing tools and may lead to achieve a better comprehensive mHealth app assessment tool.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1093/jamia/ocy050

Cites

59 of 59 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & for the PRISMA Group (2009) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.b2535 · Cited by 83,823
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA Statement.
(2009) · PubMed Central · Cited by 44,859
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & the PRISMA Group* (2009) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/0003-4819-151-4-200908180-00135 · Cited by 37,554
Mobile app rating scale: a new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps
Stoyanov, S. R., Hides, L., Kavanagh, D. J., Zelenko, O., Tjondronegoro, D., & Mani, M. (2015) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.3422 · Cited by 2,233
Mobile-health: A review of current state in 2015
Silva, B. M. C., Rodrigues, J. J. P. C., Díez, I. D. L. T., López-Coronado, M., & Saleem, K. (2015) · Journal of Biomedical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.jbi.2015.06.003 · Cited by 922
Development and validation of the user version of the Mobile application rating scale (uMARS)
Stoyanov, S. R., Hides, L., Kavanagh, D. J., & Wilson, H. (2016) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.5849 · Cited by 872 · cited 3×
““Design” was found in 9 different articles(30,31,33,34,36,38,48,49,52) “Information/ Content” (using different terms) observed in 15 studies (38,41,42,44,45,47,49,51,52)“Usability” in 14 articles, 49,52 “Functionality” in 7 studies,(31,33,34,38,43,49,50) “Ethical Issues” in 1 study,(42) “Security and Privacy” in 8 art…”
Mobile devices and apps for health care professionals: uses and benefits.
Ventola, C. L. (2014) · PubMed Central · doi:10.57945/manara.23966214 · Cited by 847
Improving a human-computer dialogue
Molich, R., & Nielsen, J. (1990) · Communications of the ACM · doi:10.1145/77481.77486 · Cited by 821
The Smartphone in Medicine: A Review of Current and Potential Use Among Physicians and Students
Ozdalga, E., Ozdalga, A., & Ahuja, N. (2012) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1994 · Cited by 654
Empirical Studies on Usability of mHealth Apps: A Systematic Literature Review
Zapata, B. C., Fernández-Alemán, J. L., Idri, A., & Toval, A. (2015) · Journal of Medical Systems · doi:10.1007/s10916-014-0182-2 · Cited by 585

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 62 references

3 of the 62 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 2

Bertini, 2008, Int J Mob Hum Comput Interact, 20
Aitken, 2013, Patient Apps for Improved Healthcare: from Novelty to Mainstream

Sorted by citations

Mobile Health Apps on COVID-19 Launched in the Early Days of the Pandemic: Content Analysis and Review
Ming, L. C., Untong, N., Aliudin, N. A., Osili, N., Kifli, N., Tan, C. S., Goh, K. W., Ng, P. W., Al‐Worafi, Y. M., Lee, K. S., et al. (2020) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/19796 · Cited by 570
What is the clinical value of mHealth for patients?
Rowland, S. P., Fitzgerald, J. E., Holme, T., Powell, J., & McGregor, A. (2020) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-019-0206-x · Cited by 454
Safety concerns with consumer-facing mobile health applications and their consequences: a scoping review
Akbar, S., Coiera, E. W., & Magrabi, F. (2019) · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · doi:10.1093/jamia/ocz175 · Cited by 246
German Mobile Apps in Rheumatology: Review and Analysis Using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS)
Knitza, J., Taşçılar, K., Meßner, E.-M., Meyer, M., Vossen, D., Pulla, A., Bösch, P., Kittler, J., Kleyer, A., Sewerin, P., et al. (2019) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/14991 · Cited by 170
The German Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS-G): Development and Validation Study
Messner, E.-M., Terhorst, Y., Barke, A., Baumeister, H., Stoyanov, S., Hides, L., Kavanagh, D., Pryss, R., Sander, L., & Probst, T. (2020) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/14479 · Cited by 156
Considerations of diversity, equity, and inclusion in mental health apps: A scoping review of evaluation frameworks
Ramos, G., Ponting, C., Labao, J. P., & Sobowale, K. (2021) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2021.103990 · Cited by 131
A design and evaluation framework for digital health interventions
Kowatsch, T., Otto, L., Harperink, S., Cotti, A., & Schlieter, H. (2019) · it - Information Technology · doi:10.1515/itit-2019-0019 · Cited by 129
Mobile health app usability and quality rating scales: a systematic review
Azad‐Khaneghah, P., Neubauer, N., Cruz, A. M., & Liu, L. (2020) · Disability and Rehabilitation Assistive Technology · doi:10.1080/17483107.2019.1701103 · Cited by 119
Exploring benefits and ethical challenges in the rise of mHealth (mobile healthcare) technology for the common good: An analysis of mobile applications for health specialists
Galetsi⁠, P., Katsaliaki, K., & Kumar, S. (2022) · Technovation · doi:10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102598 · Cited by 127
Understanding the quality, effectiveness and attributes of top-rated smartphone health apps
Wisniewski, H., Liu, G., Henson, P., Vaidyam, A., Hajratalli, N. K., Onnela, J.-P., & Torous, J. (2019) · Evidence Based Mental Health · doi:10.1136/ebmental-2018-300069 · Cited by 112
Exploring the factors that affect user experience in mobile-health applications: A text-mining and machine-learning approach
Pal, S., Biswas, B. N., Gupta, R., Kumar, A., & Gupta, S. (2022) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113484 · Cited by 94
Evaluating the quality and safety of health-related apps and e-tools: Adapting the Mobile App Rating Scale and developing a quality assurance protocol
Roberts, A., Davenport, T. A., Wong, T., Moon, H.-W., Hickie, I. B., & LaMonica, H. M. (2021) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2021.100379 · Cited by 99
Tools for Evaluating the Content, Efficacy, and Usability of Mobile Health Apps According to the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments: Systematic Review
Muro-Culebras, A., Escriche-Escuder, A., Martín‐Martín, J., Roldán‐Jiménez, C., De-Torres, I., Ruiz‐Muñoz, M., González‐Sánchez, M., Mayoral, F., Biró, A., Tang, W. J., et al. (2020) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/15433 · Cited by 92
Scoping review: Development and assessment of evaluation frameworks of mobile health apps for recommendations to consumers
Hensher, M., Cooper, P., Dona, S. W. A., Angeles, M. R., Nguyen, D., Heynsbergh, N., Chatterton, M. L., & Peeters, A. (2021) · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · doi:10.1093/jamia/ocab041 · Cited by 80
Impact of mobile health and medical applications on clinical practice in gastroenterology
Kernebeck, S., Busse, T. S., Böttcher, M. D., Weitz, J., Ehlers, J. P., & Bork, U. (2020) · World Journal of Gastroenterology · doi:10.3748/wjg.v26.i29.4182 · Cited by 70
A Critical Appraisal of Fertility and Menstrual Tracking Apps for the iPhone
Zwingerman, R., Chaikof, M., & Jones, C. A. (2019) · Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada · doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2019.09.023 · Cited by 68
Determinant Factors of Public Acceptance of Stress Management Apps: Survey Study
Apolinário-Hagen, J., Hennemann, S., Fritsche, L., Drüge, M., & Breil, B. (2019) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/15373 · Cited by 63
Technology acceptance and trust: Overlooked considerations in young people's use of digital mental health interventions
Sawrikar, V., & Mote, K. (2022) · Health Policy and Technology · doi:10.1016/j.hlpt.2022.100686 · Cited by 53
Observational study of UK mobile health apps for COVID-19
Chidambaram, S., Erridge, S., Kinross, J. K., & Purkayastha, S. (2020) · The Lancet Digital Health · doi:10.1016/s2589-7500(20)30144-8 · Cited by 49
Emerging Digital Technologies in Healthcare with a Spotlight on Cybersecurity: A Narrative Review
Arafa, A., Sheerah, H. A., & Alsalamah, S. (2023) · Information · doi:10.3390/info14120640 · Cited by 57
Assessing the Quality and Impact of eHealth Tools: Systematic Literature Review and Narrative Synthesis
Jacob, C., Lindeque, J. P., Klein, A., Ivory, C. J., Heuss, S., & Peter, M. K. (2023) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/45143 · Cited by 43
Smartphone and mobile health apps for tinnitus: Systematic identification, analysis, and assessment
Mehdi, M., Stach, M., Riha, C., Neff, P., Dode, A., Pryss, R., Schlee, W., Reichert, M., & Hauck, F. J. (2020) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth · doi:10.2196/21767 · Cited by 40
“Several mobile health (mHealth) app assessment tools and models are available [26-29], yet they either are focused on a particular health domain or are too time consuming and complex to employ in research.”
Background
Problems and Barriers Related to the Use of mHealth Apps From the Perspective of Patients: Focus Group and Interview Study
Giebel, G. D., Abels, C., Plescher, F., Speckemeier, C., Schrader, N. F., Börchers, K., Wasem, J., Neusser, S., & Blase, N. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/49982 · Cited by 44
Mobile Health App Database - A Repository for Quality Ratings of mHealth Apps
Stach, M., Kraft, R., Probst, T., Meßner, E.-M., Terhorst, Y., Baumeister, H., Schickler, M., Reichert, M., Sander, L., & Pryss, R. C. (2020) · Proceedings - IEEE Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems · doi:10.1109/cbms49503.2020.00087 · Cited by 45
Clinical Validation of Digital Healthcare Solutions: State of the Art, Challenges and Opportunities
Gomis‐Pastor, M., Berdún, J., Borràs-Santos, A., López, A. D. D., Rama, B. F.-M., García-Esquirol, Ó., Gratacòs, M., Ontiveros, G., Cruz, R. P., Real, J., et al. (2024) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare12111057 · Cited by 48
Use of mHealth Technology for Patient-Reported Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Adults with Acquired Brain Injuries: A Scoping Review
Juengst, S. B., Terhorst, L. A., Nabasny, A., Wallace, T. D., Weaver, J., Osborne, C. L., Burns, S. P., Wright, B., Wen, P.-S., Kew, C. L., et al. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18042173 · Cited by 43
Personal Privacy Evaluation of Smart Devices Applications Serving Hajj and Umrah Rituals
Shambour, M. K. Y., & Gutub, A. A. A. (2021) · Journal of Engineering Research · doi:10.36909/jer.13199 · Cited by 41
Leveraging mobile health applications for biomedical research and citizen science: a scoping review
Schmitz, H., Howe, C. L., Armstrong, D. G., & Subbian, V. (2018) · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · doi:10.1093/jamia/ocy130 · Cited by 38
The Barriers and Facilitators to the Use of Lifestyle Apps: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies
Shabir, H., D’Costa, M., Mohiaddin, Z., Moti, Z., Rashid, H., Sadowska, D., Alam, B., & Cox, B. M. (2022) · European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe12020012 · Cited by 38
Impact of Apps as Assistive Devices for Visually Impaired Persons
Pundlik, S. J., Shivshanker, P., & Luo, G. (2023) · Annual Review of Vision Science · doi:10.1146/annurev-vision-111022-123837 · Cited by 37
Rigorous and rapid evidence assessment in digital health with the evidence DEFINED framework
Silberman, J., Wicks, P. J., Patel, S., Sarlati, S., Park, S., Korolev, I. O., Carl, J. R., Owusu, J. T., Mishra, V. K., Kaur, M., et al. (2023) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-023-00836-5 · Cited by 36
Conducting a systematic review and evaluation of commercially available mobile applications (apps) on a health-related topic: the TECH approach and a step-by-step methodological guide
Gasteiger, N., Dowding, D., Norman, G., McGarrigle, L., Eost‐Telling, C., Jones, D. J., Vercell, A., Ali, S. M., & O’Connor, S. (2023) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073283 · Cited by 37
Innovations in Geroscience to enhance mobility in older adults
Anton, S. D., Cruz‐Almeida, Y., Singh, A., Alpert, J. M., Bensadon, B. A., Cabrera, M., Clark, D. J., Ebner, N. C., Esser, K. A., Fillingim, R. B., et al. (2020) · Experimental Gerontology · doi:10.1016/j.exger.2020.111123 · Cited by 40
Data Visualization for Chronic Neurological and Mental Health Condition Self-management: Systematic Review of User Perspectives
Polhemus, A. M., Novák, J. M., Majid, S., Simblett, S. K., Morris, D., Bruce, S., Burke, P., Dockendorf, M. F., Temesi, G., & Wykes, T. (2021) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/25249 · Cited by 40
Japanese Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS): Development and Validation
Yamamoto, K., Ito, M., Sakata, M., Koizumi, S., Hashisako, M., Sato, M., Stoyanov, S. R., & Furukawa, T. A. (2022) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/33725 · Cited by 35
Advances and future directions in the use of mobile health in supportive cancer care: proceedings of the 2019 MASCC Annual Meeting symposium
Chan, R. J., Howell, D., Lustberg, M. B., Mustian, K. M., Koczwara, B., Ng, C. C., Kim, Y., Nápoles, A. M., Dixit, N., Klemanski, D., et al. (2020) · Supportive Care in Cancer · doi:10.1007/s00520-020-05513-x · Cited by 33
A systematic review of smartphone applications and devices for obstructive sleep apnea
Baptista, P., Martin, F., Ross, H., O’Connor-Reina, C., Plaza, G., & Casale, M. (2022) · Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology · doi:10.1016/j.bjorl.2022.01.004 · Cited by 33
The Mobile App Development and Assessment Guide (MAG): Delphi-Based Validity Study
Llorens-Vernet, P., & Miró, J. (2020) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/17760 · Cited by 35
Characteristics of Mobile Health Platforms for Depression and Anxiety: Content Analysis Through a Systematic Review of the Literature and Systematic Search of Two App Stores
Leong, Q. Y., Sridhar, S., Blasiak, A., Tadeo, X., Yeo, G., Remus, A., & Ho, D. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/27388 · Cited by 39
mHealth Apps for Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation: Systematic Search in App Stores and Content Analysis
Ryan, S., Chasaide, N. N., Hanrahan, S. O., Corcoran, D., Caulfield, B., & Argent, R. (2022) · JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies · doi:10.2196/34355 · Cited by 33
Heuristics used for evaluating the usability of mobile health applications: A systematic literature review
Galavi, Z., Norouzi, S., & Khajouei, R. (2024) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/20552076241253539 · Cited by 30
Identification and Evaluation of Methodologies to Assess the Quality of Mobile Health Apps in High-, Low-, and Middle-Income Countries: Rapid Review
Woulfe, F., Fadahunsi, K. P., Smith, S. D., Chirambo, G. B., Larsson, E. E. C., Henn, P., Mawkin, M., & Donoghue, J. O. (2021) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/28384 · Cited by 30
Mobile health applications for improving the sexual health outcomes among adults with chronic diseases: A systematic review
Karim, H., Choobineh, H., Kheradbin, N., Hosseiniravandi, M., Naserpor, A., & Safdari, R. (2020) · Digital Health · doi:10.1177/2055207620906956 · Cited by 29
Framework for the Design Engineering and Clinical Implementation and Evaluation of mHealth Apps for Sleep Disturbance: Systematic Review
Aji, M., Gordon, C. J., Stratton, E., Calvo, R. A., Bartlett, D. J., Grunstein, R. R., & Glozier, N. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/24607 · Cited by 29
Prioritization of Quality Principles for Health Apps Using the Kano Model: Survey Study
Malinka, C., von Jan, U., & Albrecht, U. (2022) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/26563 · Cited by 28
Evaluation of mobile apps for treatment of patients at risk of developing gestational diabetes
Tassone, C., Keshavjee, K., Paglialonga, A., Moreira, N., Pinto, J., & Quintana, Y. (2020) · Health Informatics Journal · doi:10.1177/1460458219896639 · Cited by 27
Issues in reporting of systematic review methods in health app-focused reviews: A scoping review
Grainger, R., Devan, H., Sangelaji, B., & Hay-Smith, J. E. (2020) · Health Informatics Journal · doi:10.1177/1460458220952917 · Cited by 27
Review of Mobile Apps for Women With Anxiety in Pregnancy: Maternity Care Professionals’ Guide to Locating and Assessing Anxiety Apps
Evans, K., Donelan, J. F., Rennick‐Egglestone, S., Cox, S., & Kuipers, Y. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/31831 · Cited by 30
Evaluating and rating HIV/AIDS mobile apps using the feature-based application rating method and mobile app rating scale
Raeesi, A., Khajouei, R., & Ahmadian, L. (2022) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-022-02029-8 · Cited by 26
Digital Tools Designed to Obtain the History of Present Illness From Patients: Scoping Review
Berdahl, C. T., Henreid, A. J., Pevnick, J. M., Zheng, K., & Nuckols, T. K. (2022) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/36074 · Cited by 26
Which criteria are important in usability evaluation of mHealth applications: an umbrella review
Galavi, Z., Montazeri, M., & Khajouei, R. (2024) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-024-02738-2 · Cited by 30
Exploring the use of Mobile applications by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A scoping review
Magalhães, B. M. B. D. S., Fernandes, C. S., Martínez‐Galiano, J. M., & Santos, C. (2020) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104293 · Cited by 32
Usability Testing of a Patient-Centered Mobile Health App for Supporting and Guiding the Pediatric Emergency Department Patient Journey: Mixed Methods Study
Rochat, J., Ehrler, F., Siebert, J. N., Ricci, A., Ruiz, V. G., & Lovis, C. (2021) · JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting · doi:10.2196/25540 · Cited by 26
Help for insomnia from the app store? A standardized rating of mobile health applications claiming to target insomnia
Simon, L., Reimann, J., Steubl, L., Stach, M., Spiegelhalder, K., Sander, L., Baumeister, H., Meßner, E.-M., & Terhorst, Y. (2022) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.13642 · Cited by 24
Quality Principles of App Description Texts and Their Significance in Deciding to Use Health Apps as Assessed by Medical Students: Survey Study
Albrecht, U., Malinka, C., Long, S., Raupach, T., Hasenfuss, G. P., & von Jan, U. (2019) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/13375 · Cited by 25
mHealth Apps for Dementia, Alzheimer Disease, and Other Neurocognitive Disorders: Systematic Search and Environmental Scan
Ali, S., Alizai, H., Hagos, D. J., Rubio, S. R., Calabia, D., Jimenez, P., Senthil, V. A., & Appel, L. (2024) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/50186 · Cited by 25
A sentiment analysis driven method based on public and personal preferences with correlated attributes to select online doctors
Wu, J., Zhang, G., Xing, Y., Liu, Y., Zhang, Z., Dong, Y., & Herrera‐Viedma, E. (2023) · Applied Intelligence · doi:10.1007/s10489-023-04485-9 · Cited by 24
Quality assessment of mHealth apps: a scoping review
Giebel, G. D., Speckemeier, C., Schrader, N. F., Abels, C., Plescher, F., Hillerich, V., Wiedemann, D., Börchers, K., Wasem, J., Blase, N., et al. (2024) · Frontiers in Health Services · doi:10.3389/frhs.2024.1372871 · Cited by 31
Analysis of the factors affecting the adoption and compliance of the NHS COVID-19 mobile application: a national cross-sectional survey in England
Panchal, M., Singh, S., & Rodriguez–Villegas, E. (2021) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053395 · Cited by 23
Analyzing the Essential Attributes of Nationally Issued COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps: Open-Source Intelligence Approach and Content Analysis
Weiß, J.-P., Esdar, M., & Hübner, U. (2021) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/27232 · Cited by 24
Investigating the effective factors of using mHealth apps for monitoring COVID-19 symptoms and contact tracing: A survey among Iranian citizens
Rahimi, R., Khoundabi, B., & fathian, A. (2021) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104571 · Cited by 21
Acceptability of smartphone applications for facilitating layperson naloxone administration during opioid overdoses
Marcu, G. M., Aizen, R., Roth, A. M., Lankenau, S. E., & Schwartz, D. G. (2019) · JAMIA Open · doi:10.1093/jamiaopen/ooz068 · Cited by 21
The Content, Quality, and Behavior Change Techniques in Nutrition-Themed Mobile Apps for Children in Canada: App Review and Evaluation Study
Brown, J. M., Franco‐Arellano, B., Froome, H. M., Siddiqi, A., Mahmood, A., & Arcand, J. (2022) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/31537 · Cited by 24
Empowerment through technology: A systematic evaluation of the content and quality of mobile applications to empower individuals with cancer
Thomas, T. H., Go, K., Go, K., McKinley, N. J., Dougherty, K. R., You, K.-L., & Lee, Y. J. (2022) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104782 · Cited by 20
Towards Understanding the Usability Attributes of AI-Enabled eHealth Mobile Applications
Alzahrani, A., Gay, V. C., Alturki, R., & AlGhamdi, M. J. (2021) · Journal of Healthcare Engineering · doi:10.1155/2021/5313027 · Cited by 19
Retracted
Analysis of Publications on Health Information Management Using the Science Mapping Method: A Holistic Perspective
Tengilimoğlu, D., Orhan, F., Tekin, P. Ş., & Younis, M. Z. (2024) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare12030287 · Cited by 22
The Use of Mobile Applications for Managing Care Processes During Chemotherapy Treatments: A Systematic Review
Magalhães, B. M. B. D. S., Fernandes, C. S., Santos, C., & Martínez‐Galiano, J. M. (2020) · Cancer Nursing · doi:10.1097/ncc.0000000000000823 · Cited by 22
Parents’ Experience With a Mobile Health Intervention to Influence Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Decision Making: Mixed Methods Study
Becker, E. R., Shegog, R., Savas, L. S., Frost, E. L., Coan, S. P., Healy, C. M., Spinner, S. W., & Vernon, S. W. (2021) · JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting · doi:10.2196/30340 · Cited by 18
Assessing the Quality of Mobile Health-Related Apps: Interrater Reliability Study of Two Guides
Miró, J., & Llorens-Vernet, P. (2021) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/26471 · Cited by 18
Standards, Processes, and Tools Used to Evaluate the Quality of Health Information Systems: Systematic Literature Review
Noël, R., Taramasco, C., & Márquez, G. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/26577 · Cited by 26
The Development of a Hypertension Prevention and Financial-Incentive mHealth Program Using a “No-Code” Mobile App Builder: Development and Usability Study
Willms, A., Rhodes, R. E., & Liu, S. (2023) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/43823 · Cited by 17
A Proof of Concept of a Mobile Health Application to Support Professionals in a Portuguese Nursing Home
Esteves, M., Esteves, M., Abelha, A., & Machado, J. M. (2019) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s19183951 · Cited by 17
Mobile health application for Thai women: investigation and model
Kongjit, C., Nimmolrat, A., & Khamaksorn, A. (2022) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-022-01944-0 · Cited by 17
Electronic Medication Reconciliation Tools Aimed at Healthcare Professionals to Support Medication Reconciliation: a Systematic Review
Ciudad-Gutiérrez, P., Valle-Moreno, P. D., Lora-Escobar, S. J., Guisado-Gil, A. B., & Lara, E. R. A. (2023) · Journal of Medical Systems · doi:10.1007/s10916-023-02008-0 · Cited by 15
“Internet+Nursing Service” Mobile Apps in China App Stores: Functionality and Quality Assessment Study
Yuan, S., Liu, M., Peng, Y., Hu, J., Li, B., Ding, X., & Xie, L. (2024) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/52169 · Cited by 17
Development and evaluation of an online infertility peer supporter training program
Grunberg, P. H., Dennis, C., Costa, D. D., Gagné, K., Idelson, R., & Zelkowitz, P. (2019) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2019.11.019 · Cited by 14
Greek validation of the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS)
Chasiotis, G., Stoyanov, S. R., Karatzas, A. D., & Gravas, S. (2023) · Journal of International Medical Research · doi:10.1177/03000605231161213 · Cited by 13
mHealth Apps for the Self-Management of Low Back Pain: Systematic Search in App Stores and Content Analysis
Zhou, T., Salman, D., & McGregor, A. H. (2024) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/53262 · Cited by 14
Quality factors affecting the continued use of mobile health apps in ethnic minority regions of Southwest China using PLS-SEM and ANN
Honglin, D., Jianghua, Z., & Chen, H. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-75410-4 · Cited by 13
Una Revisión sistemática de instrumentos que evalúan la calidad de aplicaciones móviles de salud
Morales, C. D., & Hueros, A. M. D. (2023) · Pixel-Bit Revista de Medios y Educación · doi:10.12795/pixelbit.97867 · Cited by 13
Development of a Multidimensional App-Quality Assessment Tool for Health-Related Apps (AQUA)
O’Rourke, T., Pryss, R. C., Schlee, W., & Probst, T. (2020) · Digital Psychology · doi:10.24989/dp.v1i2.1816 · Cited by 13
A scoping review of mobile apps for use with palliative patients in the context of home care
Cruz, S., Fernandes, C. S., & Magalhães, B. M. B. D. S. (2023) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2023.105166 · Cited by 12
Evaluation of the Scientific Quality and Usability of Digital Dietary Assessment Tools
Böse, V., Frenser, M., Schumacher, M., & Fischer, T. W. (2024) · Dietetics · doi:10.3390/dietetics3020013 · Cited by 12
Developing a standardized framework for evaluating health apps using natural language processing
Herpertz, J., Dwyer, B., Taylor, J., Opel, N., & Torous, J. B. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-96369-w · Cited by 12
Consensus on the Terms and Procedures for Planning and Reporting a Usability Evaluation of Health-Related Digital Solutions: Delphi Study and a Resulting Checklist
Martins, A. I., Santinha, G. A. D. S., Almeida, A. M., Ribeiro, Ó. M., Silva, T., Rocha, N. P., & Silva, A. G. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/44326 · Cited by 12
Review, Assess, Classify, and Evaluate (RACE): a framework for studying m-health apps and its application for opioid apps
Varshney, U., Singh, N., Bourgeois, A. G., & Dube, S. R. (2021) · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · doi:10.1093/jamia/ocab277 · Cited by 12
Quality Assessment of Digital Health Apps: Umbrella Review
Hyzy, M., Bond, R., Mulvenna, M. D., Carracedo, J. M., Bai, L., & Leigh, S. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/58616 · Cited by 12
The new patriarchal digitality? Understanding gendered power dynamics through a systematic review of femtech apps in China
Chen, T. (2025) · Gender Technology and Development · doi:10.1080/09718524.2025.2503561 · Cited by 11
Apps und ihre Anwendungsgebiete in der Rheumatologie
Krusche, M., Ruffer, N., Grahammer, M., & Knitza, J. (2020) · Zeitschrift für Rheumatologie · doi:10.1007/s00393-020-00822-2 · Cited by 11
Quality of Digital Health Interventions Across Different Health Care Domains: Secondary Data Analysis Study
Hyzy, M., Bond, R., Mulvenna, M. D., Bai, L., Dix, A. J., Daly, R., Frey, A.-L., & Leigh, S. (2023) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/47043 · Cited by 11
mHealth App Usability Questionnaire for Stand-Alone mHealth Apps Used by Health Care Providers: Canadian French Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation (Part 1)
Gagnon, J., Probst, S., Chartrand, J., & Lalonde, M. (2024) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/50839 · Cited by 11
Creating boundaries to empower digital health technology
Hsin, H., & Torous, J. B. (2018) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2018.37 · Cited by 11
Evaluation of HIV/AIDS-related mobile health applications content using an evidence-based content rating tool
Raeesi, A., Khajouei, R., & Ahmadian, L. (2021) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-021-01498-7 · Cited by 11
Framework to assess the quality of mHealth apps: a mixed-method international case study protocol
Tan, Y. Y., Woulfe, F., Chirambo, G. B., Henn, P., Cilliers, L., Fadahunsi, K. P., Taylor-Robinson, S. D., & O'Donoghue, J. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062909 · Cited by 10
“12 Until now, even though multiple evaluation frameworks exist, there has not been a standardised evaluation framework that can be used among HCPs to evaluate the quality of mHealth apps.”
Background
Methodological challenges in systematic reviews of mHealth interventions: Survey and consensus-based recommendations
López‐Alcalde, J., Wieland, L. S., Barth, J., Grainger, R., Baxter, N. N., Heron, N., Triantafyllidis, A. K., Carrión, C., Trecca, E. M. C., Holl, F., et al. (2024) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2024.105345 · Cited by 10
Development, dissemination and evaluation of a smartphone-based app for pressure ulcer/injury prevention and treatment for use at the bedside
Cuddigan, J., Haesler, E., Moore, Z. E. H., Carville, K., & Kottner, J. (2022) · Journal of Wound Care · doi:10.12968/jowc.2022.31.sup12.s29 · Cited by 10
Domain coverage and criteria overlap across digital health technology quality assessments: a systematic review
Frey, A.-L., Phillips, B., Baines, R., McCabe, A., Elmes, E., Yeardsley-Pierce, E., Wall, R., Parry, J., Vose, A., Hewitt, J., et al. (2024) · Health and Technology · doi:10.1007/s12553-024-00934-8 · Cited by 9
Turkish Validation of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale
Çalık, G., Kartal, B. B., Stoyanov, S. R., Othman, L., de la Rosette, J. J. M. C. H., Albayrak, S., Laguna, M. P., & Gravas, S. (2022) · Urology Research and Practice · doi:10.5152/tud.2022.21324 · Cited by 9
Diabetes and hypertension MobileHealth systems: a review of general challenges and advancements
Stephen, B. U.-A., Uzoewulu, B. C., Asuquo, P. M., & Ozuomba, S. (2023) · Journal of Engineering and Applied Science · doi:10.1186/s44147-023-00240-6 · Cited by 11
Consumers’ intentions to utilize smartphone diet applications: an integration of the privacy calculus model with self-efficacy, trust and experience
Mohammed, A., & Rózsa, Z. (2024) · British Food Journal · doi:10.1108/bfj-11-2023-0989 · Cited by 12

Authors: Nouri, R., R Niakan Kalhori, S., Ghazisaeedi, M., Marchand, G., & Yasini, M.
Affiliations: Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IR)
Health Information Management Department, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Research and Development Department, DMD Santé, Paris, France
Corresponding author: Ghazisaeedi, Marjan
ORCID: Nouri, Rasool
Ghazisaeedi, Marjan
Yasini, Mobin
Venue: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published: 2018-05-16
Volume: 25
Issue: 8
Pages: 1089-1098
ISSN: 1067-5027 (ISSN-L)
1527-974X
DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocy050
PMC: PMC7646896
OpenAlex: W2803669305
Cited by: 231
References: 62
Citations by year: 2026: 14 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 2
FWCI: 3.75
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Licence: academic.oup.com/journals/pages/about_us/legal/notices (vor)
Locations: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: Deputy of Education of Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Topics: Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Health, Technology, Consumer Behavior
Keywords: mobile health apps, quality assessment, evaluation criteria, quality assessment tools, usability, privacy and security, ethical considerations, mobile application design, app functionality, content quality
MeSH terms: Evaluation Studies as Topic, Humans, Telemedicine, Mobile Applications

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Criteria for assessing the quality of mHealth apps: a systematic review

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks