Clinical Usability of Exercise Prescription Apps for Professional Use: Systematic Review and Multidimensional...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Exercise Science
• Clinical Interventions

Background:

• Exercise prescription requires structured progression and behavioral support for safety and effectiveness.
• Mobile health apps are increasingly used for remote exercise prescription delivery.
• The alignment of popular apps with clinical standards is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the clinical usability of popular, no-cost exercise prescription apps.
• Assess apps based on clinical integrity, intervention fidelity, behavioral mechanisms, and digital usability.
• Identify gaps between app capabilities and clinical exercise prescription standards.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of app stores for clinician-directed exercise prescription apps.
• Evaluation using frameworks like FITT-VP, CERT, BCTTv1, and MARS.
• Descriptive analysis and interrater reliability assessment of six included apps.

Main Results:

• All apps met basic FITT requirements but lacked explicit progression guidance (FITT-VP principles).
• Comprehensive reporting was noted, but progression logic, tailoring, and adverse event documentation were absent.
• Behavior change techniques for progression and adherence were infrequently used; app quality was moderate with limited engagement.

Conclusions:

• Current exercise prescription apps meet basic needs but fail to fully support progressive and individualized clinical exercise.
• A gap exists between app-based prescription delivery and independent clinical management.
• Apps are best used as adjunctive tools in hybrid care models; future development needs to prioritize progression and behavior change strategies.