Mobile health applications on frailty: A scoping review

Frailty is a prevalent and significant health condition in older adults, and mobile health applications (MHAs) offer a promising avenue to enhance screening and early detection of frailty allowing healthcare professionals to enact timely interventions. This scoping review aimed to synthesise the features of existing MHAs on frailty and assess their quality.

Two independent researchers searched the Apple App Store and Google Play Store using keywords "Frailty", "Frail", "Geriatrics", "Geriatric", and "Older Adults" between July and August 2023, with an updated search conducted from June to July 2025. Application quality was assessed using the Mobile App Rating Scale, which evaluates apps in four domains: engagement, functionality, aesthetics and information.

Fourteen MHAs met the inclusion criteria. Twenty clinical frailty tools were referenced across the applications. Content included frailty identification (n = 13), definition (n = 6), management (n = 6), risk factors (n = 4), prognosis (n = 2), and screening (n = 1). All applications targeted healthcare professionals. Few targeted carers (n = 2) or patients (n = 1). Most applications (n = 13) included interactive features. Quality scores were highest for functionality and lowest for engagement.

While MHAs have potential to assist healthcare professionals to identify frailty in older adults, their limited focus on patient education, carer support, and frailty management highlights the need for further development. Future studies should evaluate app effectiveness, for example in improving clinicians' ability to identify and manage frailty and explore ways to integrate MHAs into clinical practice to enable timely, effective interventions for frailty.