Assessing the Quality of skin Healthcare Mobile Apps: a systematic review and scoring using the MARS

Abstract

Abstract Background With the number of skin healthcare-related apps users increasing, the selection of high-quality apps is not a simple task. The aim of this study was to (1)describe the content of available skin healthcare apps, (2)evaluate their objective quality regarding engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information and subjective quality. Methods The App Store and Google Play store were systematically searched to identify skin healthcare mobile apps for general population use. Eligible apps were downloaded and independently evaluated for quality by 4 reviewers using the Mobile App Rating Scale(MARS). The MARS is the only currently available tool that provides a comprehensive, multidimensional evaluation of app quality. MARS assesses the dimensions of engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information, and subjective quality on 5-point scales. In addition, the correlation between MARS score and user score was analyzed. Results The overall 37 apps obtained a mean quality score of 2.77(SD.62). 'Trove skin(Android: 4.13)' received the highest score, while 'Complete Beauty Guides(Android: 1.8)' received the lowest score. User scores were found to have no significant correlation between overall quality scores through MARS and content scores(r= .240, p= .153)(r= .290, p= .081), the overall quality score through MARS and the Content Score were significant static correlation(r= .487, p= .002). Conclusions As the use, and introduction, of mobile apps continue to grow, it will become increasingly important for consumers to adopt high-quality apps. Understanding the effectiveness of high-quality apps compared with low-quality apps can make it easier and more accurate for consumers decisions about using related to skin healthcare apps. Furthermore, qualities of apps that ranked higher could be used to improve existing apps or help with the development of new ones. Key messages Consumers refer to the User Score when selecting skin healthcare-related apps. However, User Score was not correlated with MARS content quality assessment scores evaluated by experts. This study is a significant help that enables consumers to select good-quality skin healthcare apps by high-quality content information through MARS.