Quality Criteria and Principles of Health Apps - A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Digital health applications (apps) have the potential to enhance treatment, but poor-quality apps can pose risks, emphasizing the need for standardized quality criteria. This paper reviews existing approaches to assessing health app quality, identifying 18 studies that focus on both general and specialized evaluation frameworks, including tools like MARS (Mobile App Rating Score). The analysis highlights six key quality domains: technical features, user experience, general features, health information quality, ethical and legal conformity, and data security. Among these, 'user experience' and 'health information quality' were the most frequently cited criteria. While many frameworks share similar criteria, their evaluation methods differ. The findings stress the importance of establishing standards and fostering collaboration to ensure consistent quality assessment of health apps.