Urinary incontinence (UI) is a serious condition for which often times insufficient non-surgical treatment options are provided or sought. Mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) offer potential to assist with the self-management of UI.
To perform a systematic review of available mHealth apps for UI in Brazil.
A search for UI mHealth apps from the Google Play Store and AppStore in Brazil was performed by two independent reviewers on June 4 2020, and the quality of eligible mHealth apps was assessed using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS).
Of the 1111 mHealth apps found, 12 were eligible for inclusion. Four offered exclusively exercise programs, six offered exercise and educational content, and two offered tools to track patient-reported symptoms. The included apps scored poorly on the MARS quality scale, with a mean ± standard deviation score of 2.7 ± 0.6 on a 0-5 scale. Most apps scored poorly based on credibility, user interface and experience, and engagement.
Although there is growing interest in the development of mHealth technologies to support patients with UI, currently available tools in Brazil are of poor quality and limited functionality. Effective collaboration between industry and research is needed to develop new user-centered mHealth apps that can empower patients with UI.
Brazilian journal of physical therapy. 2021 Jan 13 [Epub ahead of print]
Lucas Ogura Dantas, Cristiano Carvalho, Beatriz Laryssa de Jesus Santos, Cristine Homsi Jorge Ferreira, Kari Bø, Patricia Driusso
Physical Therapy Department, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil., Department of Health Sciences, Ribeirao Preto Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil., Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Department of Sports Medicine, Oslo, Norway; Akershus University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lørenskog, Norway., Physical Therapy Department, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil. Electronic address: .