Mobile Apps to Improve Brace-Wearing Compliance in Patients with Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Quality Analysis, Functionality Review and Future Directions

This study was performed to review which mHealth apps that improve brace-wearing compliance are currently available, and to carry out their quality assessments by listing their functionalities. We found ten mHealth apps in the literature review and commercial mHealth apps market (Google Play and App store). Then, the quality of these apps was evaluated by their transparency, health content, excellent technical content, security/privacy, issues of usability, and subjective ratings (THESIS) scale, and the functionalities of the included apps were reviewed. Regarding these functionalities, four categories (data acquisition, compliance enhancement, educational components, and additional functionalities) and twelve subcategories were identified. The mean overall quality of the apps was 3.00 out of 5. Although four of the apps achieved a score of 3.0 or more for their overall quality, indicating an acceptable quality, none of the apps scored higher than 4.0, which indicated a high or excellent quality. According to the sections, the transparency section had the highest rating (3.92) and the security/privacy section received the lowest rating (2.02). Given that the overall quality of current mHealth apps was not high, and their potential to motivate patients with idiopathic scoliosis to adhere to their bracing treatment, it is necessary to develop high-quality apps with appropriate functionalities for supporting brace treatment.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate the current mHealth apps that improve brace-wearing compliance by assessing their quality and functionalities. Ten apps were identified from literature review and commercial app markets. The apps were evaluated based on transparency, health content, technical content, security/privacy, usability issues, and subjective ratings. The overall quality of the apps was moderate, with none reaching a high or excellent quality. The transparency section had the highest rating, while the security/privacy section had the lowest rating. There is a need for developing high-quality apps with appropriate functionalities to support brace treatment for patients with idiopathic scoliosis.