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Quality Health Apps




Choosing Health Apps from an online store such as Google Play Store or Apple Store can be difficult to maneuver. There are millions of apps that are available to download. Smart watches that track fitness or caloric intake have rose in popularity recently. Have you checked who made the app that connects your smart watch to your phone? More importantly, do you know what they are doing with your information? Being smart about what you download keeps your information and your phone safe from unwanted intruders.

When downloading an app you can look at the star ratings. However, these are often misleading as people can get paid to give a positive review or a negative review can be given so their complaint is cared for. It is more reliable to look at who it is produced by. App developers can literally be anyone. There is no regulation to who can create an app or if it is functional. Follow the website from the app store to learn more information about the company in the same manner that you look at websites.

Each app can be so varied and unique it's difficult to figure out what is reliable and of high quality. Here is a journal article that has a survey that you can use to rate any health app you find. There are several different sections and you rate the app based on entertainment, quality, ease of use, and credibility. I feel like this is an invaluable tool because there is such a variety of apps out there. The same journal article lists apps they found to be high quality using their survey. They are listed below.



Headspace
https://www.headspace.com/



Momentum Challenge
https://www.healthcorps.org/healthcorps-proudly-announces-launch-of-momentum-challenge-app-2/






Smiling Mind
https://www.smilingmind.com.au/

PTSD Coach
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/materials/apps/PTSDCoach.asp


References from:
Stoyanov, S.R., 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 and uHealth 3(1), 27. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.3422

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References

Stoyanov, S.R., 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 and uHealth 3(1), 27. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.3422

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Health Information Center. (2015). Support Groups HealthFinder.gov. Retrieved from: https://healthfinder.gov/FindServices/SearchContext.aspx?topic=833

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Health Information Center. (2012). What is a patient portal? HealthFinder.gov Retrieved from: https://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-patient-portal

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. (2018). Finding and evaluating online resources. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved from: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/webresources

Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development. (2018). Computer Basics. Utah Broadband. Retrieved from https://broadband.utah.gov/digital-literacy/computer-basics/