Health Medical Homework Help

This week’s assignment is designed to develop your ability to evaluate a mobile health application from the user perspective. Some health care organizations are using mobile health applications in conjunction with their electronic health records. Patients may ask health care providers for a recommendation about a specific mHealth app. Before, recommending a health app or incorporating its data into a health care system, health informaticists may be involved in evaluating the features of mHealth apps. However, despite the wide availability of health apps, the research on effectiveness of individual apps is limited. The FDA does not plan to regulate apps that are considered low risk. Using a systematic method of evaluation may help ensure that all the important features of the health app are examined. Just as we learned with quality measures, having consistency in the standards and consistency between raters of an application are important features in the determination of the apps usefulness.

• AMIA Competencies: F5, F7
• Program Outcomes: 1, 4, 10, 11
• Student Learning Outcomes: 1, 2

Please download a mobile health application and use the application for one week.

Guidelines for the Written Assignment

This assignment has five (5) components:

• an introduction
• assessment of the apps’ usefulness
• usability for vulnerable populations
• usefulness to healthcare organizations and/or providers
• a summary and a completed rating scale

First, provide an introduction indicating why you chose the application and a description of the major features of the application. Then, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the application.

Download the following MARS questionnaire and complete an evaluation of the application using the MARS criteria (Sections A-F):

Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS)

How does your overall assessment of the application compare with your rating on the MARS tool? Is there a rating of the app in the app store. How does the rating compare with your assessment? Is the app widely used?

Next, use Powell et al.’s (2016) three measures of effectiveness: perceived effectiveness, research evidence base for the app, and whether effectiveness was tested to further refine your recommendation. Is the design user- and human-centered? Include an assessment of the target population for the app. What are health literacy considerations in the use of this application? Would members of a disadvantaged group or a vulnerable population have access to or be able to use this application? Does the digital divide impact the widespread adoption of the app? What are some of the issues that a healthcare organization would have to address before either recommending the application, or incorporating data from the application into its patient portal. Is the data generated useful to a healthcare provider? Worth integrating into the EHR?

Finally, provide a summary of your assessment. APA format must be used. Attach your completed rating scale as an appendix to your paper.

Resources for Completing this Assignment

Powell, A. C., Torous, J., Chan, S., Raynor, G. S., Shwarts, E., Shanahan, M., & Landman, A. B. (2016). Interrater reliability of mHealth app rating measures: Analysis of top depression and smoking cessation apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, 4(1), e15. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.5176

Sim I. (2019). Mobile devices and health. The New England Journal of Medicine, 381(10), 956–968. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1806949

Stoyanov, S., Hides, L, Kavanagh, D. J., Zelenko, O., Tjondronegoro, D. & Mani, M. (2015) Mobile App Rating Scale: A new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, 3(1), e27. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.3422. Retrieved from http://mhealth.jmir.org/2015/1/e27/