Mobile Apps for Oncology Health Care Professionals: Mapping and Assessment Study.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Oncology
• Mobile Applications

Background:

• Mobile apps are increasingly used in oncology for prevention, treatment, and support.
• Healthcare professionals (HCPs) face challenges in selecting high-quality, clinically effective oncology apps.
• Lack of evidence hinders the adoption and reliability of digital health tools in cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the availability of free mobile apps for oncology HCPs.
• To assess the quality of identified oncology mobile applications.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of Google Play and Apple App Store (June 2023, December 2024).
• App evaluation using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) by two independent reviewers.
• Descriptive statistics to summarize app characteristics and quality.

Main Results:

• 20 free oncology apps met inclusion criteria; most support both Android and iOS.
• Overall moderate quality (mean MARS score 3.51), with ONCOassist and Oncology Board Review scoring above 4.0.
• ONCOassist demonstrated strong functionality and information quality for clinical decision support.

Conclusions:

• The landscape of free oncology apps for HCPs is fragmented with predominantly low to moderate quality.
• There is a critical need for standardized evaluation, regulatory oversight, and evidence-based development of digital health tools in oncology.
• ONCOassist shows potential, requiring further investigation for clinical utility.