[Assessment method for mobile health applications in Spanish: The iSYScore index]

Abstract

The widespread of mobile smartphones among the population has resulted in a growing range of mobile applications in health using iOS and Android devices. The level of confidence that such applications deserve and the health information available online to the general population is a widely debated issue. The main objective of this work was to develop a tool -a scale-, for evaluating the reliability of health apps. The scale was developed using a systematic evidence-based approach, and with an expert consensus, built with a Delphi process. This was followed by a health app catalogue, which was used to test and validate our method that helps to recommend the best apps for non-medical experts across 3 different user interest axes: 1) popularity and interest; 2) trust and quality; and 3) usefulness.

Keywords: Apps; Baremo; Empoderar; Empower; HIT; Health 2.0; Salud 2.0; Score; Tecnologías de la información en salud; eHealth; ePaciente; ePatient; eSalud; mHealth; mSalud.