JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mobile health apps hold great potential for asthma self-management, and their range is excellent. However, data on the suitability of asthma apps intended for children is insufficient and the offer in German is still inadequate compared to English

Objective:

This study aimed to identify functional asthma apps for children supporting German and compare them with English-language ones. In line with the PRISMA guideline, the “Google Play Store” (Google inc) and “Apple App Store” (Apple inc) were systematically searched to preselect the most efficient apps, which were then compared according to a self-complied criteria catalog.

Methods:

Both app stores were screened for the term “asthma”. Following a PRISMA preselection process, the apps meeting the inclusion criteria (availability free of charge, German or English language, and suitability for children) were rated by three independent persons following a criteria catalog consisting of nine categories, some conceived for this purpose ("availability", "child-friendly", "learning factor", and "range of functions") and some adopted from existing validated catalogs ("functionality and design", "ease of use", "potential for improving asthma self-management", "fun factor and incentives", and "information management and medical accuracy"). The highest-rated apps in German and English were compared to analyze differences in quality between the two languages.

Results:

403 apps were identified under the term “asthma” on the “google play store” and “the apple app store”. 27 matching the inclusion criteria were analyzed. In a first quality assessment step, the only four available German-language asthma apps were compared to twenty-three English apps. For qualitative comparison, the four German-language apps were then compared to the four highest rated English-language apps using the criteria catalog. All chosen apps, independent of the language, were comparable in the categories “availability”, “functionality and design”, “ease of use”, and “information management and medical accuracy”. The English-language apps scored significantly higher in the categories “potential for improving self-management”, “child friendly”, “fun factor”, “learning factor”, and “range of function”. English asthma apps (total points 34.164 (SD+/-1.09) performed significantly better than German-languages one (total points 22.91 (SD+/-2.898) (P=.003). The best-rated English apps was “Kiss my asthma” (36 out of 42 points) whereas the German app “Kata” only achieved 27.33 points.

Conclusions:

Recommended apps in English are “Kiss my asthma”, ”AsthmaXcel”, "AsthmaAustralia", and "Ask Me, AsthMe!". The offer in German is limited to the "Kata" app. The use of apps plays an increasingly important role in patients' lives and in the medical field, making mHealth a staple in the future of asthma treatment plans. Although validated recommendations on rating mHealth apps had been published, it remains a challenging task of choosing a suitable app for each case for physicians and patients, especially in non-English speaking countries.