German Mobile Apps for Patients With Psoriasis: Systematic Search and Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Digital Health
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition causing physical discomfort and psychological distress.
• Smartphone applications offer accessible support for managing psoriasis.
• Previous research indicates apps can supplement psoriasis care, but a quality assessment is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and evaluate the quality of German psoriasis apps.
• To provide objective assessments using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS).
• To compile descriptions of available psoriasis apps for patient use.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of German apps in Google Play and Apple App Stores.
• Independent rating of apps using the German MARS (MARS-G) by reviewers.
• Patient evaluation of the highest-rated app using the user version (uMARS-G).

Main Results:

• Eight German psoriasis apps were evaluated, with mean MARS-G scores ranging from 3.51 to 4.18.
• The highest-rated app by professionals was 'Psoriasis Helferin' (4.18/5.00), but received lower patient ratings (3.48/5.00).
• Most apps focused on symptom tracking, with few using validated instruments for disease activity measurement.

Conclusions:

• Psoriasis app quality is inconsistent, with limited availability across app stores.
• Patient ratings for apps were lower than professional ratings, emphasizing the need for user-centered development.
• Incorporating patient perspectives is vital for creating appealing and effective digital health tools.