Spanish adaptation and validation of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS)

Abstract

Objective: While the professional version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) has already been translated, and validated into the Spanish language, its user-centered counterpart has not yet been adapted. Furthermore, no other similar tools exist in the Spanish language. The aim of this paper is to adapt and validate User Version of the MARS (uMARS) into the Spanish language.

Materials and methods: Cross-cultural adaptation, translation, and metric evaluation. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Spanish version of the uMARS were evaluated using the RadarCovid app. Two hundred and sixteen participants rated the app using the translated scale. The app was then rated again 2 weeks later by 21 of these participants to measure test-retest reliability.

Results: No major differences were observed between the uMARS original and the Spanish version. Discrimination indices (item-scale correlation) obtained appropriate results for both raters. The Spanish uMARS presented with excellent internal consistency, α = .89 and .67 for objective and subjective quality, respectively, and temporal stability (r > 0.82 for all items and subscales).

Discussion: The Spanish uMARS is a useful tool for health professionals to recommend high-quality mobile apps to their patients based on the user's perspective and for researchers and app developers to use end-user feedback and evaluation, to help them identify highly appraised and valued components, as well as areas for further development, to continue ensuring the increasing quality and prominence of the area of mHealth.

Conclusion: uMARS Spanish version is an instrument with adequate metric properties to assess the quality of health apps from the user perspective.

Keywords: clinical decisions; mHealth; mobile applications; mobile health; patient safety.