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. 2022 May 1;42(3):141-147.
doi: 10.1097/HCR.0000000000000667. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

A Structured Review of Commercially Available Cardiac Rehabilitation mHealth Applications Using the Mobile Application Rating Scale

John M Meddar  1 , Aditya Ponnapalli, Rimsha Azhar, Meghan Reading Turchioe, Andrea Tiana Duran, Ruth Masterson Creber
Affiliations

A Structured Review of Commercially Available Cardiac Rehabilitation mHealth Applications Using the Mobile Application Rating Scale

John M Meddar et al. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. .

Abstract

Purpose: This study systematically evaluated the quality and functionalities of patient-facing, commercially available mobile health (mHealth) apps for cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Methods: We performed our search in two of the most widely used commercial mobile app stores: Apple iTunes Appstore and Google Play Store (Android apps). Six search terms were used to query relevant CR apps: "cardiac rehabilitation," "heart disease and remote therapy," "heart failure exercise," "heart therapy and cardiac recovery," "cardiac recovery," and "heart therapy." App quality was evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). App functionality was evaluated using the IQVIA functionality scale, and app content was evaluated against the American Heart Association guidelines for CR. Apps meeting our inclusion criteria were downloaded and evaluated by two to three reviewers, and interclass correlations between reviewers were calculated.

Results: We reviewed 3121 apps and nine apps met our inclusion criteria. On average, the apps scored a 3.0 on the MARS (5-point Likert scale) for overall quality. The two top-ranking mHealth apps for CR for all three quality, functionality, and consistency with evidence-based guidelines were My Cardiac Coach and Love My Heart for Women, both of which scored ≥4.0 for behavior change.

Conclusion: Overall, the quality and functionality of free apps for mobile CR was high, with two apps performing the best across all three quality categories. High-quality CR apps are available that can expand access to CR for patients with cardiovascular disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Selection process and categories for exclusion. Abbreviations: CR, cardiac rehabilitation; MARS,Mobile App Rating Scale.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Functionality of included apps based on the IQVIA Institute for Healthcare Informatics scores.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Screenshot of our top performing app, AHA My Cardiac Coach
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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