By the numbers: ratings and utilization of behavioral health mobile applications.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31304400.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41746-019-0129-6 and PMC identifier 6572775.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Although >10,000 behavioral health applications ("apps") are currently available on the Apple and Google Play marketplaces, they have been minimally evaluated or regulated and little is known about "real world" usage patterns. This investigation combined data from online behavioral health app rating frameworks and a mobile health market research firm to identify the most downloaded apps as well as determine rating and ranking concordance between frameworks. Findings demonstrated that the most commonly downloaded apps focus on relaxation, mindfulness, and meditation skills and that they often have notably discordant reviews across rating frameworks. Our results suggest that there is a growing need for: (1) standardized behavioral health app quality and effectiveness measures, (2) up-to-date behavioral health app guidance for clinicians and consumers, and (3) evidence-based apps that incorporate revealed consumer preferences.