Importance: Usability is an important method for evaluating mobile health apps from a user perspective. However, numerous apps are available to the public with insufficient effort devoted to their design, development, and evaluation. Objective: To assess usability evaluation and reporting for mobile health apps targeting patients with skin diseases. Evidence Review: The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022347184). A search strategy combined terms for usability evaluation, user experience, skin disease and mobile health apps (search date from 2012 to May 27, 2022). Six databases (Embase, Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus) were searched identifying 15234 results. Nine studies (comprising 9 apps) were included in the final analysis. Findings: Skin diseases targeted included sun protection (n=3), skin cancer (n=3), and one study identified for each of the following: cutaneous leishmaniasis, spina bifida, chronic pruritus, acne, psoriasis, rosacea laser treatments, actinic damage, monitoring benign moles, alopecia, and inflammatory rash. All studies assessed app usability and/or feasibility, with 8/9 studies concluding their app was useful and easy to use. Most studies were qualitative employing usability questionnaires or semi-structured interviews. Common themes emerging included: easy to use/easy to navigate, easy to understand, security/privacy and data sharing issues, customizability, costs and ability to track progress / self-monitor. The most common modules in the apps included taking/storing skin images on the app, skin check reminders, education modules and e-diaries/rating of symptoms. Usability encompassed various concepts including feasibility, usefulness, and satisfaction. Conclusion and Relevance: Smartphone applications used in the context of skin disorders, are being developed across multiple diseases and indications and when evaluated appear to have a high degree of usability. However there are concerns given the paucity of reported literature compared with the current explosion of app development and deployment which highlights there is a need for careful user-centred design and rigorous evaluation of these tools before they are released for widespread uptake. Development of any public facing app especially those targeting skin diseases should aim to evaluate usability and report these findings to optimise longer-term uptake of these apps.
The fulltext files of this resource are currently embargoed.Embargo end: 2025-10-07
Kounidas, GeorgiosCleer, IonaHarriss, ElinorHarrison, RachelMatin, Rubeta N
School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics
Year of publication: 2024Date of RADAR deposit: 2024-10-30
“This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology following peer review. The version of record Georgios Kounidas, Iona Cleer, Elinor Harriss, Rachel Harrison, Rubeta N Matin, Usability evaluation and reporting for mobile health apps targeting patients with skin diseases: a systematic review, Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2024;, llae378, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ced/llae378”