Quality review and content analysis of liver complications mobile apps in Iran: A statistical and machine learning approach

IF 3.7 2区医学 Q2 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

International Journal of Medical Informatics Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2025.105842

Farzaneh Kermani , Mahdi Mahmoodi , Mahmood Reza Nasiri , Azam Orooji

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Liver disease accounts for 4 % of global mortality. The advent of mobile technology has introduced a novel domain in liver disease management. Identifying effective mobile apps with pertinent information on liver diseases is essential. This study seeks to evaluate liver disease-related mobile applications using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) quality assessment tool.

Method

This research employs a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical methodology focusing on liver disease-related mobile applications. We evaluated all Persian and English mobile applications available on the Google Play, Cafe Bazaar, and Myket Stores dedicated to liver diseases until 2023. After eliminating duplicates, evaluators extracted technical specifications and features of apps. The MARS was employed to assess the quality of the mobile applications. Both statistical and machine learning methods were employed for analysis.

Results

A total of 2,044 mobile applications were identified, with 49 selected for final analysis. The apps focused on liver-related issues included general liver disease (n = 20, 40.82 %), hepatitis (n = 9, 18.37 %), and fatty liver disease (n = 8, 16.33 %). In terms of functionality, the majority of apps (n = 20, 40.82 %) served as calculators, with 15 specifically for calculation. Among these, three integrated educational elements, and two also supported diet and fitness alongside calculator functions. Additionally, 20 apps aimed to provide educational and informative content. The average quality score was 3.17 (SD = 0.20), with scores ranging from 2.33 to 4.45. Generally, the mean score of Engagement, Functionality, Aesthetics and Information were 4.20 (SD = 0.67), 4.00 (SD = 0.67), 4.00 (SD = 0.92), and 4.00 (SD = 0.67), respectively. The highest Subjective quality score was 4.75.

Conclusions

Liver disease-related mobile applications serve users in educational, diet and lifestyle, calculation, risk assessment, and management domains, focusing mainly on general liver diseases and hepatitis. However, the results revealed that the apps lack sufficient and reliable information.

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查看原文本刊更多论文

伊朗肝脏并发症移动应用程序的质量审查和内容分析：统计和机器学习方法

背景：肝病占全球死亡率的4%。移动技术的出现为肝病管理引入了一个新的领域。识别具有肝脏疾病相关信息的有效移动应用程序至关重要。本研究旨在使用移动应用评级量表（MARS）质量评估工具评估肝病相关移动应用。方法本研究采用横断面描述和分析方法，重点关注肝病相关的移动应用程序。我们评估了谷歌Play、Cafe Bazaar和Myket Stores上所有波斯语和英语移动应用程序，这些应用程序致力于肝病，直到2023年。在消除重复后，评估人员提取应用程序的技术规格和功能。采用MARS来评估移动应用程序的质量。采用统计学和机器学习方法进行分析。结果共识别2,044个移动应用程序，其中49个被选中进行最终分析。关注肝脏相关问题的应用程序包括一般肝病（n = 20, 40.82%）、肝炎（n = 9, 18.37%）和脂肪肝（n = 8, 16.33%）。在功能方面，大多数应用程序（n = 20, 40.82%）用作计算器，有15个专门用于计算。其中三个集成了教育元素，两个还支持饮食和健身以及计算器功能。此外，还有20个应用程序旨在提供教育和信息内容。平均质量评分为3.17 (SD = 0.20)，评分范围为2.33 ~ 4.45。总体而言，参与、功能、美学和信息的平均得分分别为4.20 （SD = 0.67）、4.00 （SD = 0.67）、4.00 （SD = 0.92）和4.00 （SD = 0.67）。主观素质得分最高为4.75分。结论银屑病相关移动应用服务于教育、饮食生活方式、计算、风险评估和管理等领域，主要集中于普通肝病和肝炎。然而，结果显示，这些应用程序缺乏足够和可靠的信息。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Medical Informatics 医学-计算机：信息系统

CiteScore

8.90

自引率

4.10%

发文量

217

审稿时长

42 days

期刊介绍： International Journal of Medical Informatics provides an international medium for dissemination of original results and interpretative reviews concerning the field of medical informatics. The Journal emphasizes the evaluation of systems in healthcare settings. The scope of journal covers: Information systems, including national or international registration systems, hospital information systems, departmental and/or physician''s office systems, document handling systems, electronic medical record systems, standardization, systems integration etc.; Computer-aided medical decision support systems using heuristic, algorithmic and/or statistical methods as exemplified in decision theory, protocol development, artificial intelligence, etc. Educational computer based programs pertaining to medical informatics or medicine in general; Organizational, economic, social, clinical impact, ethical and cost-benefit aspects of IT applications in health care.