Smartphone apps related to shoulder pain using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS): A Review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Successful rehabilitation of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain requires more than medical input alone. Conservative treatment including physiotherapy and exercise therapy can be an effective way of decreasing pain associated with MSK pain. However, face-to-face appointments are currently not feasible. New mobile technologies such as mobile health (mHealth) in the form of an app on your smartphone can be a solution to this problem. In many cases, these apps are not backed by scientific literature, therefore it is important that they are reviewed and quality assessed. OBJECTIVE The aim is to evaluate and measure the quality of apps related to shoulder pain using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). METHODS This study included 25 free and paid apps from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. Five reviewers were involved in the evaluation process. A descriptive analysis of the MARS results provided a general overview of the quality of the apps. RESULTS Overall, app quality was generally low with an average star rating of 1.97 out of 5. The best scores were in the ‘Functionality’ and ‘Aesthetics’ sections, scoring poorer in the ‘Engagement’ and ‘Information’ sections. The apps were also rated poorly in the ‘Subjective Quality’ section. CONCLUSIONS In general, the apps were well built technically and were aesthetically pleasing. However, the apps failed to provide quality information to the user which led to a lack of engagement. Most of the apps weren’t backed by scientific literature and those that contained scientific references were vastly out of date. Future apps would need to address these concerns whilst taking simple measures to ensure quality control. CLINICALTRIAL N/A