JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Medical services during disasters primarily rely on organized public and mutual aid systems, such as Disaster Medical Assistance Team These systems have been facing challenges owing to recent reductions in disaster response budgets. The integration of healthcare applications in such situations is expected to strengthen self-reliance, alleviate the strain on public and mutual aid support, and offer potential solutions to these issues. The escalating global prominence of digital therapeutics, utilizing digital devices, such as smartphone applications, is attracting attention in clinical practice. Some of these applications in Japan are now covered by insurance. Additionally, numerous health-related applications have been released that are not intended for treatment but for mental health and self-health management.

Objective:

This study aims to analyze highly-ranked smartphone healthcare applications, categorizing their intended use into specific segments such as diet management, sleep support, and exercise management. The investigation evaluates the incorporated functions, including measurement, recording, advice, content provision, and actual service functions. The study seeks to ascertain the efficacy of these healthcare apps in normal circumstances and their potential application in disaster situations, while also identifying pertinent challenges.

Methods:

This study surveyed healthcare-related smartphone applications, initially targeting those within the top 100 rankings under healthcare or fitness categories for approximately three months (Survey 1). Subsequent surveys focused on functional analysis, purpose classification, and trends in functional implementation unique to each purpose of use (Surveys 2–4). Both free and paid applications were examined for their implementation of various functions and their reclassified purposes of use.

Results:

Among the 70 free applications, the predominant functions included "recording" (60 cases, 86%) and "measurement"(47 cases, 67%), primarily encompassing mechanical functions of wearable devices and smartphones. By contrast, the 77 paid applications exhibited high rates of "recording" (48 cases, 62%) and "measurement" (39 cases, 51%) with "content provision" (54 cases, 70%) being the most prevalent. The reclassified purposes of use for the 70 free applications were largely focused on "walking" (16 cases, 23%), "exercise," and "self-management" (both 15 cases, 21%), while for the 77 paid applications, the emphasis was on "sleep" (21 cases, 27%), "relaxation" (20 cases, 26%), and "exercise" (15 cases, 19%). Notably, the "sleep," "relaxation," and "exercise" categories prominently featured the "content provision" function deemed crucial for addressing both mental and physical health concerns during disasters.

Conclusions:

The study underscores that the widespread use of applications during normal times minimizes resistance to their adoption during disasters, emphasizing the potential for augmenting disaster-specific content within existing applications rather than developing new ones. This approach aligns with the likelihood of pre-installed application usage during emergencies, indicating a pragmatic strategy for enhancing disaster response content within prevalent applications.