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Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Medical Education

Date Submitted: Jul 19, 2024
Date Accepted: Jan 3, 2025

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

Reviewing Mobile Apps for Teaching Human Anatomy: Search and Quality Evaluation Study

Rivera García GE, Cervantes López MJ, LLanes Castillo A, Ramírez Vázquez JC, Cruz Casados J

Reviewing Mobile Apps for Teaching Human Anatomy: Search and Quality Evaluation Study

JMIR Med Educ 2025;11:e64550

DOI: 10.2196/64550

PMID: 39951706

PMCID: 11888001

Mobile Applications for Teaching Human Anatomy: Search and Quality Evaluation

  • Guadalupe Esmeralda Rivera García; 
  • Miriam Janet Cervantes López; 
  • Arturo LLanes Castillo; 
  • Juan Carlos Ramírez Vázquez; 
  • Jaime Cruz Casados

ABSTRACT

Background:

Background:

Mobile applications designed for teaching human anatomy offer a flexible, interactive, and personalized learning platform, enriching the educational experience for both students and healthcare professionals.

Objective:

Objective:

This study aims to conduct a systematic review of the human anatomy mobile applications available on Google Play, evaluate their quality, highlight the highest-scoring applications, and determine the relationship between objective quality ratings and subjective star ratings..

Methods:

Methods:

The methodology used included the use of "Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS)" to evaluate the applications. The intraclass correlation index (ICC) was calculated using a consistency-type two-factor random model to measure the reliability of the evaluations made by the experts. Additionally, Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between MARS quality scores and subjective evaluations of MARS quality item 23.

Results:

Results:

The mobile applications with the highest overall quality scores according to MARS (sections ABCD) were 3D Internal Organs (Anatomy) (4.34), 3D Skeletal System (Anatomy) (4.32), and VOKA Anatomy Pro (4.29). To measure the reliability of the MARS quality evaluations (sections ABCD), the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used, and the result was "excellent." Finally, Pearson's correlation results revealed a significant relationship between the quality assessments conducted by healthcare professionals and the subjective evaluations of item 23.

Conclusions:

Conclusions:

The average evaluation results of the selected applications indicated a "good" level of quality, and those with the highest ratings could be recommended. However, the lack of scientific backing for these technological tools is evident. It is crucial that research centers and higher education institutions commit to the active development of new mobile health applications, ensuring their accessibility and validation for the general public.


 Citation

Please cite as:

Rivera García GE, Cervantes López MJ, LLanes Castillo A, Ramírez Vázquez JC, Cruz Casados J

Reviewing Mobile Apps for Teaching Human Anatomy: Search and Quality Evaluation Study

JMIR Med Educ 2025;11:e64550

DOI: 10.2196/64550

PMID: 39951706

PMCID: 11888001

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