Persian mHealth Apps: A Cross Sectional Study Based on Use Case Classification.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Mobile Health (mHealth)

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) applications are increasingly vital for healthcare delivery and health promotion.
• The Persian mHealth app market, particularly on platforms like Cafebazaar, has seen substantial growth.
• However, the quality and adherence to standards of these apps remain largely unassessed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the characteristics of top Persian mHealth apps available on Cafebazaar.
• To categorize these apps based on their use cases and identify any novel applications.
• To evaluate the adherence of Persian mHealth apps to established quality and safety standards.

Main Methods:

• A systematic investigation of 200 top-ranked Persian medical and health & fitness apps from Cafebazaar.
• Categorization of apps by identified use cases, comparing them to existing models.
• Analysis of app characteristics including health professional involvement, contact information, and source reliability.

Main Results:

• Only 6% of apps reported involvement of health professionals in their development.
• 35% of apps lacked user contact information, and only 10.5% utilized reliable sources for content.
• 13 distinct use cases were identified, including two novel ones, with 20 international use cases yet to be implemented in Persian apps.

Conclusions:

• Persian mHealth apps require significant improvements to meet fundamental quality and safety standards.
• The absence of regulatory bodies and dynamic evaluation systems contributes to these deficiencies.
• There exists a substantial opportunity for developing new mHealth applications by incorporating international use cases.