Evaluating evaluation frameworks: a scoping review of frameworks for assessing health apps

Area of Science:

• Digital health
• Health informatics
• Mobile health app evaluation

Background:

• Over 300,000 mobile health apps exist, but no consensus aids selection.
• Existing frameworks lack comprehensive, auditable criteria for patient and clinician guidance.
• The American Psychiatric Association (APA) endorsed an initial framework in 2018.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of mobile health app evaluation frameworks published since 2018.
• To compare existing frameworks against the comprehensive Mhealth Index and Navigation Database (MIND) model.
• To demonstrate MIND's comprehensiveness and identify emerging priorities in app evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of mobile health app evaluation frameworks.
• Searches conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and PsychINFO (January 2018 - October 2020).
• Inclusion criteria: frameworks with patient, clinician, or end-user facing questions; data extraction and synthesis using MIND as a reference.

Main Results:

• Over 1701 questions across 79 frameworks were compiled and mapped to the MIND framework.
• Emerging frameworks increasingly focus on privacy and clinical foundation, indicating a trend towards app security and evidence base.
• The majority of reviewed frameworks overlapped with at least half of the MIND categories, supporting its comprehensive nature.

Conclusions:

• The proliferation of app evaluation frameworks complicates selection for users.
• The MIND framework provides a comprehensive and adaptable model for evaluating mobile health apps.
• This review highlights convergence in the field and identifies priorities for enhancing clinical guidance and app selection tools.