Currently available smartphone apps for asthma have worrying deficiencies

Brian McKinstry

doi:10.1136/eb-2012-101194

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Evid Based Med

doi:10.1136/eb-2012-101194

Qualitative research

Systematic review

Currently available smartphone apps for asthma have worrying deficiencies

Brian McKinstry

Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Correspondence to : Professor Brian McKinstry
Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Doorway 1, Medical School Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK; Brian.McKinstry{at}ed.ac.uk

Commentary on: Huckvale K, Car M, Morrison C, et al. Apps for asthma self-management: a systematic assessment of content and tools. BMC Med 2012; 10: 144.

Context

Long-term conditions are becoming more prevalent1 and self-management is increasingly advocated by health services as a means of addressing this problem.2 Mobile app designers have enthusiastically embraced the healthcare market by designing hundreds of health-related apps targeted at long-term condition management. However, in the absence of any regulatory body overseeing the content and quality of these apps, their suitability for self-management is unknown. Huckvale and colleagues sought to explore the content of readily available apps in asthma, a condition known to be improved by the use of self-management plans.