Content and quality of smartphone applications for bariatric surgery: A review and content analysis

PEC innovation Pub Date : 2025-04-08 DOI:10.1016/j.pecinn.2025.100391

Irma Hellbrecht , Nadja Könsgen , Alina Weise , Fabian Schlumberger , Dawid Pieper , Jessica Breuing

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Our aim was to provide a descriptive analysis of the content and quality of bariatric apps available in Germany.

Methods

From November 2022 to February 2023, apps available in German used in pre- or postoperative care were searched in the Google Play, the Apple App Store, and the Register for Digital Health Applications (DHA). One author reviewed titles and summary pages. Relevant apps were downloaded and two authors assessed their eligibility. Additionally, the authors independently screened records indexed in Medline/Embase. Besides a summary of the app content, a quality assessment was performed using two checklists (the Action Alliance for Patient Safety Checklist (APS); the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS).

Results

38 potentially relevant apps were identified, n = 3 were included. Functionality was good (MARS score 13–18/20). Content quality was variable (MARS score 7–19/35). Moreover, the apps' content lacked references and varied in scope.

Conclusion

There are few apps in the field of BS available and the quality of their content is moderate to low. The evidence base remains unclear due to a lack of sources.

Innovation

This is the first structured assessment of bariatric apps in Germany using validated checklists. The results provide a foundation for evidence-based, patient-centered app development in bariatric care and thus represent an important digital innovation in this field.

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减肥手术智能手机应用程序的内容和质量：回顾和内容分析

我们的目的是对德国可用的减肥应用程序的内容和质量进行描述性分析。方法：从2022年11月至2023年2月，在b谷歌Play、苹果应用商店和数字健康应用程序注册（DHA）中搜索用于术前或术后护理的德语应用程序。一位作者审查了标题和摘要页。下载了相关的应用程序，两位作者评估了他们的资格。此外，作者独立筛选了Medline/Embase索引的记录。除了对应用程序内容进行总结外，还使用两个检查表(患者安全检查表行动联盟（APS）；移动应用评级量表（MARS）。结果共识别出38个可能相关的应用程序，其中n = 3个。功能良好（MARS评分13-18/20）。内容质量是可变的（MARS评分7-19/35）。此外，这些应用程序的内容缺乏参考，范围也各不相同。结论BS领域的应用程序较少，内容质量中低。由于缺乏来源，证据基础仍然不清楚。这是德国第一个使用有效清单对减肥应用程序进行结构化评估。研究结果为基于证据、以患者为中心的减肥护理应用程序开发奠定了基础，因此代表了该领域的重要数字创新。

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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