Currently submitted to: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Feb 5, 2025
Open Peer Review Period: Feb 17, 2025 - Apr 14, 2025
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Quality evaluation using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) for speech therapy in Parkinson’s Disease: Systematic Search and Evaluation
ABSTRACT
Background:
As the global population ages, Parkinson’s disease (PD) has emerged as the second most prevalent neurodegenerative condition after Alzheimer’s disease. People with PD often experience speech problems like reduced volume, monotone pitch, breathiness, and slurring of words. Interventions such as speech therapy through mobile apps provide reassurance and easier access to care for patients suffering from this neurodegenerative condition. Mobile apps offer patients with PD greater access to care and the reassurance of being able to manage their condition at home. However, we do not know the quality of these apps. A systematic evaluation of these mobile apps is necessary to ensure their effectiveness and suitability for use by PD patients.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the quality of existing apps that support speech therapy for PD.
Methods:
We performed a systematic search and evaluation to identify apps available on the Apple App Store for speech therapy targeted toward PD. Our inclusion criteria required apps to be freely available. Apps were excluded if they required a subscription fee. Starting with 30, we identified two (2) apps. We summarized the characteristics of these apps and performed an evaluation. We used the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) framework with three graders. We calculated interrater reliability and found median ratings for MARS dimensions.
Results:
The intergrader agreement varies by dimensions. When comparing both apps one had generally higher median ratings for the functionality, aesthetics, and information criteria. However, the other had a higher median rating for the engagement criteria.
Conclusions:
Both apps provide targeted exercises and are targeted for the patient. Mobile apps hold promises for increasing the accessibility of speech therapy for Parkinson’s patients and offer promising support for managing speech difficulties in PD. Evaluating these apps is essential to determine their quality and effectiveness in supporting these patients.
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