Evaluation of rheumatic disease mobile applications using MARS

Rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, significantly impact global health. Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer new opportunities for disease management, yet many lack scientific validation. The Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) provides a standardized method for assessing app quality. This study evaluates rheumatology-related mobile apps in Iranian marketplaces using MARS to ensure informed app selection for patient care. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 to evaluate the quality of Persian-language mobile applications for rheumatic diseases using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). A systematic search of Google Play, Myket, and Bazaar identified eligible applications. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, six applications were included in the final evaluation. The apps were assessed by health informatics specialists, rheumatologists, and patients with rheumatic diseases using the MARS instrument. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The overall average score of the selected apps was 2.32, indicating a low to moderate quality. In the interaction dimension, the app Rheumatism and its treatment methods received a score of 1.96, which was the highest in this section. The performance of the best apps in this dimension showed an average of 3.53. In the aesthetics section, the app Rheumatism scored 2.6, showing better performance, but the average of this dimension (2.12) remained at a low level. In the information dimension, the app Rheumatism scored 2.2, earning the highest rank, but the overall average of this dimension (1.94) indicated the poor quality of the scientific content in the apps. Finally, the two apps Rheumatism and Rheumatism with scores of 2.43 and 2.53 respectively performed the best in the overall evaluation. The findings indicated that Persian-language apps related to rheumatism need improvement in terms of interaction, information, and aesthetics. Enhancing the quality of scientific content, increasing user engagement, and using more diverse formats for presenting information could help improve the effectiveness of these apps in managing and educating patients with rheumatism.