Exploring M-Health: An Annotated Bibliography on Mobile Applications

This annotated bibliography provides a comprehensive overview of mobile health (mHealth) applications, highlighting their significance in modern healthcare. It discusses the benefits such as improved patient monitoring, enhanced doctor-patient communication, and cost-effective healthcare solutions. The bibliography explores the importance of user engagement and usability of health tracking apps, addressing factors that motivate sustained use, particularly for individuals with chronic illnesses. It also acknowledges challenges related to data privacy, security, and the need for regulatory oversight. The review emphasizes the potential of mHealth to empower self-care, improve treatment outcomes, and streamline healthcare resource utilization, while also pointing out research gaps and future directions for integrating these technologies into daily life. This resource is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide range of study tools and solved assignments for students.

Mobile Health Applications
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
SIVA PRASANTH ANNAM
11614170

Abstract
Various sectors of the society have undergone major changes owing to different technological
advancements in the recent years. The rise of technology has lead to tremendous progress.
One of the most important changes includes the enhancement of healthcare facilities in the
form of M-health services. These services are meant to provide proper healthcare to
individuals on a massive scale globally. Many features and facilities come with this
application that contributes to the immense benefits that it provides in the healthcare sector.
Some of the most crucial features include enabling the doctors to keep track of the records of
the patients, enabling patients to monitor their health, maintenance of the history of multiple
patients, and offering low-cost services. The state of art is one of the essential components
that have been covered in detail in this report. This report also puts forth the issues that arise
with the use of such applications. The integration of health care with these apps has made a
major contribution in connecting patients with various healthcare providers. An enhanced
connectivity between doctors and patients has lead to the advancement in the field of
healthcare.
Keywords: mobile applications, mHealth, patient engagement, health information, decision
making

Table of Contents
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 2
I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 4
Significance of research ......................................................................................................... 4
Originality of approach .......................................................................................................... 5
Literature review .................................................................................................................... 6
Research Gap.......................................................................................................................... 8
Aim of research ...................................................................................................................... 9
II. Materials and Methods ........................................................................................................ 10
III. Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 11
References ................................................................................................................................ 12

I. Introduction
Significance of research
Many opportunities arise in the healthcare sector to develop apps that can provide benefit in
this field. A mobile health solution is another name for such apps. They are also abbreviated
as m- health solutions. This is one of those advancements in healthcare that has given a new
hope for betterment in the field. It imparts a whole new level of creativity for healthcare
facilities. Just like technology has made the world a smaller place by bringing people from
across the globe closer to each other, m- health solutions have facilitated easy medical
services for people who live far away and wish to avail healthcare facilities with ease[1]. This
way, many organizational hurdles are dealt with in an effective manner.
The rise in M-health solutions has had an immensely positive impact on the alerting system,
data collection about clinical reports and administrative system, preserving the record of a
patient's past history, spreading knowledge, and making people aware of different health care
programs[2]. This way, the healthcare industry has been revolutionized. People nowadays are
more aware of their medical information. Some other factors which are affected by the M-
healthcare solutions are the prevention of diseases by means of vaccines or medicines,
rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts, and theft[3].
In order to use the app effectively, all the functions need to work properly. For this, a smooth
internet connection and web facilities are required in order to enable a hassle-free
communication between doctors and patients and enforce a proper integration between them.
The best part is that both the doctors and the patients have an easy access to the past records
and medical history of the patient with the help of their computers and smart phones or
tablets[4]. In order to ensure a smooth functioning of services related to healthcare, the
doctors and patients can also check the appointments online. This will avoid clashes and

chaos that can lead to unnecessary wastage of precious time. In cases of emergencies, the
doctors can easily check a patient's medical records and then decide a suitable course of
treatment[5].
This review proves the presence of an interest of people in the user-centered apps for tracking
health. But what people fail to grasp are the motivating factors that are meant to foster a
sustained use of the application. In order to sustain proper user engagement with these health
tracking mobile apps, the users suffering from chronic illnesses should be able to fully utilize
these applications[6]. They should be made keeping in mind a user-friendly interface so that
maximum people are empowered to avail the massive benefits that the app has to offer.
Originality of approach
A common theme that was review by many studies and researches was the user engagement
and utilization of the health tracking apps. In order to ensure a successful engagement with
various health tracking apps, the usability is one of the essential components. In 2016, [5]
surveyed many users in which they deduced the user experiences of various patients using
these apps for keeping track of their chronic illnesses. According to most of the participant's
opinions, the functionalities of their own personal mobile apps meant for tracking their health
was of a significant importance[7]. In order to adapt to various changes in lifestyle, wellness,
and health conditions, for an efficient functioning of the app, constant simulation is required
to promote a proper user interaction. This is an important step to enable people to manage
various chronic illnesses they suffer from via health tracking apps.
Giroux, Bacon, King, Dulin, & Gonzalez (2014) explored the experiences of various users
who tried the app for Intervention regarding Alcohol Use Disorders and Location-Based
Monitoring. The duration of this trial was 6 weeks. The mobile health tracking technology

proved to be useful for people suffering from the problem of substance abuse, say,
alcoholism[6]. The app provided them support in quitting these habits.
Literature review
With the use of IT and advanced communication technology, numerous healthcare facilities
have reached the common man, thanks to the advancing technological era. Fetal monitoring
of heart rate, hemoglobin meter, a pulse oximeter that is self-powered, a communication
system for medical data, etc are some of the services that require proper integration between
the doctor and the patients[7]. This report also emphasizes the relevance of such technology
for providing these beneficial services.
• Fetal heart rate monitors using a mobile phone:
After monitoring the fetal heart rate, the heart rate calculation is done using a beat to beat
algorithm. A mobile application is used to evaluate this data.
• Mobile health record system for pediatric HIV:
It is an application that works on a web-based platform. This app acts as an assistant for
doctors for carrying out the management of pediatric HIV. The decision systems of clinics
can also be benefitted via this app[8].
• Mobile phone image transmission for diagnosis:
This app helps doctors to detect various problems by sending different images via MMS. A
pulse oximeter sensor is attached to the mobile phone that is used for displaying the image[9].
This app also aids physicians in the decision making process and enables them to choose the
best treatment in accordance with the medical condition of the patient.

Topics based on cardiology, smoking, obesity and chronic diseases are of great importance
for m-health. These apps have been used by doctors for carrying out monitoring, prevention,
and recognition of various diseases[3]. M-health services, due to their immense popularity
and increasing significance in the healthcare industry all over the world each day in
developing countries has provided the required edge to the mobile technology.
Cloud computing is another technology that has brought about major positive changes in the
healthcare industry throughout the world. 4G networks play a crucial role in the timely
delivery of such services to the person in need[5]. Social networking has also given a major
contribution to spreading awareness regarding these health-tracking apps.
Although despite so many advantages, cooperation and coordination are some major issues
that arise in the implementation of this technology. M-health facilities are integration
amongst patients and healthcare specialists so it is vital to have legitimate lines of
coordination between the two to have advantages of m-health administrations[9]. Alternate
issues are identified with the protection of information and security. A standout amongst the
most pre predominant approaches to find out about these issues is to gather information by
various polls that will help in the discovery of the effect of these services on the lives of the
patients.
The capability of mHealth arrangements lies in their capacity to empower managing chronic
illnesses and general wellbeing inspiration. By following a person's medical data, and by
giving noteworthy criticism, self-care can be exercised[5]. When the healthcare providers are
fully equipped with the information about their patients and the status of their health, the
healthcare facilities can be offered in a customized manner, keeping in mind the needs of an
individual person. These systems can be used to improve the overall course of treatment of a
patient and empower patients to take better care of them[10]. They can also lower down the

costs of medical facilities and streamline the way in which various healthcare resources are
used.
Due to the standardized and diversified nature of the innovation of mHealth, it is required that
regulatory bodies keep evaluating the methodologies used for various health aids. In today's
world, all medical practitioners are expected to get acquainted with modern technology and
quickly adapt to any changes or modifications[1]. Within a clinical atmosphere, a detailed
analysis of a person's medical history should be carried out and the information related to
personal health should be successfully integrated. Nevertheless, various medical protocols are
unable to adapt with the release of various m-health tools as they rely completely on
guidance[11]. Thus, the healthcare providers are unable to carry out their professional
responsibilities as they are completely left in the dark as far as the usage of the m-health
technology is concerned. If this issue is not fixed right away, the medical schools and
hospitals will start to lag behind and won't be able to provide advanced treatments to their
patients[4].
Research Gap
There are various factors that affect the motivational influence to use these apps. A proper
foundational research on such factors is absent despite the fact that there has been a
significant rise in people who are interested in these apps for monitoring their health[12]. The
research addressing the use of these apps by people is a sparse one. Therefore, the primary
objective of such a review is to determine the user experiences and views upon using this app
and to recognize the factors that motivate people to use m-health. This way, the future scope
can also be determined and the researchers can get directions for conducting their future
research.

The experience of participants regarding the usage of the app is still lacking as the research is
still going on[12]. Since the research is still in its beginning phases, their effect on the health
is still somewhat unknown. A detailed research should be carried out to identify the
motivation that leads to an increased user engagement. Future research can also include the
integration of these apps into our daily lives and tracking how many people are actually
comfortable with m-health for monitoring chronic illnesses.
Aim of research
This research is aimed at providing detailed information regarding m-health services and its
implementation in the modern healthcare scenario. Various benefits of this new technology
are also incorporated in this research. It also indicates the in-depth research to evaluate the
best healthcare services that are available today in the market. It also highlights the impact of
these apps in the field of healthcare and how the mobile market is affected due to the rise in
this new technology.

II. Materials and Methods
The database utilized for the conduction of this review includes PubMed Plus, Science
Direct, Google Scholar, Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EBSCO megafile and
Cumulative Index of Nursing. Similar reference lists were also reviewed. The search terms
that were used include usability, mHealth related apps, user-centered apps, wireless
technology, engagement, qualitative, eHealth and tracking apps and smartphone apps. Recent
researchers have excluded the technology that didn't involve the use of smart phones as in
today's world; the use of smart phones is at its peak.
The studies that were conducted were used to evaluate the experience of patients regarding
keeping track of their health and chronic diseases with these apps. Due to the present paucity
of the literature revealing the user experience with health tracking apps, the selection of broad
parameters was carried out. The exclusion criteria included editorials, text messaging or a
short messaging system (SMS), abstract only, non-English language, exercise or dietary apps
for healthy people, and quantitative studies.
In order to facilitate the collection of data predetermined questions were used by reviewed
studies with focus groups or individuals along with carrying out a Contentor thematic
analysis as well as using criterion sampling strategies for participants suffering from chronic
illnesses.

III. Discussion
When an app is simple to use, enables data sharing, comes with an instruction manual, it is
regarded as a useful application. Even though tracking of the health is the main purpose of
these apps, if a proper execution is not carried out it can detract from the experience of a user.
The quality of all the features of the app should be measured properly[10]. This way, it
becomes easier to identify any future trends.
The reviewed studies are helpful in giving a detailed insight into the usage patterns of the app
and the motivational factors responsible for increasing user engagement[11]. Simple, user-
friendly, and visually appealing apps received a good feedback. When the benefits provided
by a health tracking app as compared to traditional therapies is clearly established, a rise in
their use will be observed[8]. Even though these apps might seem appealing at first, their
purpose can't be fulfilled if the users lose interest over time. Therefore, by increasing the
customizability and user-friendliness of this app, the relationship between the application and
the user can be improved[13].

References
[1] M. Bradway, C. Carrion, B. Vallespin, O. Saadatfard, E. Puigdomènech, M.
Espallargues and A. Kotzeva, “mHealth Assessment: Conceptualization of a Global
Framework,” JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, p. e60, 2017 .
[2] J. Chen, J. Lieffers, A. Bauman, R. Hanning and M. Allman‐Farinelli, “The use of
smartphone health apps and other mobile health (mHealth) technologies in dietetic
practice: a three country study,” Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, pp. 439-452,
2017.
[3] V. Williams, J. Price, M. Hardinge, L. Tarassenko and A. Farmer, “Using a mobile
health application to support self-management in COPD: A qualitative study.,” British
Journal of General Practice, pp. 392-400, 2014.
[4] J. Zhao, B. Freeman and M. Li, “Can Mobile Phone Apps Influence People’s Health
Behavior Change? An Evidence Review,” J Med Internet Res, p. e287, 2016.
[5] K. Anderson, O. Burford and L. Emmerton, “Mobile health apps to facilitate self-care: A
qualitative study of user experiences,” PloS One, p. e0156164, 2016.
[6] A. S. Juarascio, S. P. Goldstein, S. M. Manasse, E. Forman and M. L. Butryn,
“Perceptions of the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone application of treatment
of binge eating disorders: Qualitative feedback from a user population and clinicians.,”
International Journal of Medical Informatics, pp. 808-816, 2015.
[7] S. Birkhoff and H. Moriarty, “Interventions using smartphone health apps across various