4 Tips to Choosing the Right mHealth App for You
Research revealed that over 77% of Americans owned a mobile device in January 2018, compared with 55% in 2014 and 35% in 2011. On a larger scale, it was discovered in 2017 that over 98% of individuals in developed countries and 70% in lesser developed nations have mobile broadband subscriptions. This increase, which likely has continued over the past few years, indicates that a larger number of people have access to mHealth apps. And there are so many out there, you may be asking, “How do I decide which is best for me?” We reviewed data from multiple studies and came up with these 4 tips on deciding the right mHealth app for you.
The app should be individualized and user-friendly.
An app should be simple and easy to use for someone to want to use it. Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques offer unprecedented opportunities to take personalization to the next level and these personalization technologies can help tailor information to your particular needs and preferences by making recommendations that you feel are beneficial to you.
Targeted goals to promote self-management should be included.
Adopting self-management skills relative to personal goals and confidence is important in staying healthy. The information in the app should be perceived as relevant and actionable to you, rather than generic for everyone.
Make sure you are comfortable with the data privacy and protection policy.
Concern over data privacy and protection is common, and privacy documents can be long and complicated. Transparency about data collection, privacy and protection are important. A privacy design that allows users to opt-in for data sharing and enables granular permissions could help strengthen user privacy and foster trust.
The app should seamlessly fit into your life.
The app should include all of the above qualities so that it can be easily incorporated into your life. The app should not require a significant amount of extra time to use or analyze, and it should never feel like a burden to have to use the app. mHealth apps are meant to improve our lives and not cause additional stress.
Have you found an mHealth app that has made a significant impact on your life? If so we want to hear from you about which ones have been most beneficial!
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31464189/: Kryger MA, Crytzer TM, Fairman A, Quinby EJ, Karavolis M, Pramana G, Setiawan IMA, McKernan GP, Parmanto B, Dicianno BE. The Effect of the Interactive Mobile Health and Rehabilitation System on Health and Psychosocial Outcomes in Spinal Cord Injury: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2019 Aug 28;21(8):e14305. doi: 10.2196/14305. PMID: 31464189; PMCID: PMC6737885.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7758166/#ref14 : Amann J, Fiordelli M, Scheel-Sailer A, Brach M, Rubinelli S. Opportunities and Challenges of a Self-Management App to Support People With Spinal Cord Injury in the Prevention of Pressure Injuries: Qualitative Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020;8(12):e22452. Published 2020 Dec 9. doi:10.2196/22452
