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Smartphone breast applications - what's the evidence?
Mohammad H Mobasheri1, Maximilian Johnston1, Dominic King2
1Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, UK.
Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland)
|August 26, 2014
Summary
Most breast disease smartphone applications lack evidence and medical professional input, raising safety concerns. A framework is needed to ensure quality and build user confidence in these health tools.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Mobile Health Applications
- Oncology
Background:
- Smartphone applications offer vast potential in healthcare delivery.
- Breast cancer is a leading global cancer in women, yet breast-related apps remain unevaluated.
- This study addresses the gap in assessing the quality of breast disease applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate breast disease smartphone applications for evidence base and medical professional involvement.
- To identify potential safety concerns within these applications.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive search of major app stores was conducted for breast disease-related applications.
- Data extracted included app focus, function, evidence base (EB), medical professional involvement (MPI), and safety concerns.
Main Results:
- 185 applications were reviewed, with 75.1% focusing on breast cancer.
- Educational and self-assessment were common functions; however, only 14.2% demonstrated EB and 12.8% showed MPI.
- Safety concerns were noted in 15.7% of the reviewed applications.
Conclusions:
- Current breast disease applications exhibit a significant deficit in evidence base and medical professional involvement.
- Identified safety concerns necessitate improved regulation, authorship transparency, and clinical validation.
- A standardized framework is crucial for quality assurance and promoting user trust in healthcare applications.