Background: Mobile health applications can help empowering caregivers and promote their wellbeing and their quality of life.
Objective: To analyze the technical and functional characteristics of mobile health applications designed for caregivers of individuals with chronic conditions and/or diseases.
Materials and methods: Systematic search of mobile health applications for smartphones (apps) based on the PRISMA standard for systematic reviews on the App Store and Google Play store during May and June 2018. A second search was carried out on the Pubmed and Google Scholar database to determine whether the applications had been tested or evaluated with results published in scientific journals and then a third search was performed on the Spanish health apps catalogs to evaluate the quality and security of the selected apps.
Results: 746 available health apps were identified and 43 were included in this paper. 67% (n = 29) of the apps were aimed exclusively at informal caregivers, 51% (n = 22) were designed to support caregivers and only 21% (n = 9) of them provided any sort of social or emotional support. The screening in Pubmed and Google Scholar determined that the apps analyzed lacked published papers and most of the apps (84%; n = 36) lacked approval from official agencies supporting their usage.
Discussion: The apps available on the market that meet the actual needs of caregivers are limited. Most of the apps were aimed at improving the care of the individual with a chronic illness.
Conclusion: Despite the remarkable benefits of mHealth regarding the care of chronic diseases, a relatively poor contribution has been made to support caregivers. Customized apps, interventions assessing their effectiveness and adequate evidence are needed to understand the impact of this digital tool on caregivers' health.
Keywords: Caregivers; Chronic Disease [MeSH]; Mobile Applications; Wellness Programs; mHealth.
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.