| Creators: |
Aigner, Marco F. and Schobel, Johannes and Swoboda, Walter and Holl, Felix |
| Title: |
Apps for COVID 19: Preliminary Results of a Systematic Review of Reviews |
| Item Type: |
Conference or Workshop Item |
| Event Title: |
2023 AMIA Informatics Summit |
| Event Location: |
Seattle, WA, USA |
| Event Dates: |
March, 13-16, 2023 |
| Projects: |
DigiHealth, mhealtheval |
| Date: |
2023 |
| Divisions: |
Gesundheitsmanagement |
| Abstract (ENG): |
Background: Over the past two years, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2
(SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. In other endemic situations, mobile applications
(apps) have been used successfully. [1]
Objective: This study aims to identify and review published reviews of mobile apps used in
association with the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID 19).
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of reviews following the PRISMA statement from
2020.[2] We searched Medline and Embase for peer-reviewed reviews of COVID-19 mobile
apps published between 01/01/2020 and 04/25/2022. Review quality was assessed by modified
versions of the overview quality assessment questionnaire (OQAQ) and a measurement tool to
assess systematic reviews, AMSTAR version 2.[3], [4] Reviews were categorically synthesized.
Results: Out of the initial 17,611 studies, 24 studies were eligible for the analysis. Publication
dates ranged from May 2020 to January 2022. 54% (n=13) of the studies were published in
2021, 33% (n=8) in 2020, and three were published in 2022. Most reviews analyzed apps from
the USA, the UK, and India. Apps from most of the African, Middle- and South American
countries were not analyzed in the reviews. Categorization, based on similarity, resulted in four
clusters (app overview, privacy and security, MARS rating and miscellaneous). Nine reviews
provided an overview of currently available apps for COVID 19, six studies reviewed apps
regarding privacy and security, and five studies rated apps using the Mobile Application Rating
Scale (MARS). Four reviews did not fit into any of the other categories, of which two analyzed
studies on the effectiveness of COVID 19 mobile apps, one evaluated the usability of COVID 19
mobile apps, and one identified challenges in app adoption in neo-liberal societies.
Discussion: Our study provides a comprehensive high-level overview of 24 reviews of apps for
COVID 19 during the first two years of the pandemic. Reviews on apps from African, Middleand South American countries are required as current literature focuses on European and North
American apps. Apps were mostly developed with governmental backgrounds which were
reflected by consistently high quality according to MARS. Rigorous studies are needed to
provide evidence of their effectiveness. |
| Forthcoming: |
No |
| Language: |
English |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
SARS-CoV-2; Mobile Applications; mHealth; Telemedicine; Systematic Review |
| Link eMedia: |
Download |
| Citation: |
Aigner, Marco F. and Schobel, Johannes and Swoboda, Walter and Holl, Felix
(2023)
Apps for COVID 19: Preliminary Results of a Systematic Review of Reviews.
In: 2023 AMIA Informatics Summit, March, 13-16, 2023, Seattle, WA, USA.
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