Abstract
BackgroundCare delivered by physiotherapists aims to facilitate engagement in positive health behaviors by patients (eg, adherence to exercise). However, research suggests that behavioral interventions are frequently omitted from care. Hence, better understanding of strategies that can be used by physiotherapists to support patients to engage in positive behaviors is important and likely to optimize outcomes. Digital health interventions delivered via mobile apps are garnering attention for their ability to support behavior change. They have potential to incorporate numerous behavior change techniques (BCTs) to support goals of physiotherapy care, including but not limited to self-monitoring, goal setting, and prompts/alerts. Despite their potential to support physiotherapy care, much is still unknown about what apps are available to consumers, the BCTs they use, their quality, and their potential to change behaviors.ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study is to systematically review the mobile apps available in app stores that are intended for use by patients to support physiotherapy care, including the BCTs within these apps. The secondary aims are to evaluate the quality and behavior change potential of these apps.MethodsA systematic review of mobile apps in app stores will be undertaken. This will be guided by recommendations for systematic reviews in line with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement but adapted to suit our app store search, consistent with similar systematic reviews of apps published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Apple Store and Google Play will be searched with a two-step search strategy, using terms relevant to physiotherapy, physiotherapists, and common physiotherapy care. Key eligibility criteria will include apps that are intended for use by patients and are self-contained or stand-alone without the need of additional wearable devices or other add-ons. Included apps will be coded for BCTs and rated for quality using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and for potential to change behavior using the App Behavior Change Scale (ABACUS).ResultsApp store search and screening are expected to be completed in 2021. Data extraction and quality appraisal are expected to commence by November 2021. The study results are expected to be published in a subsequent paper in 2022.ConclusionsKnowledge gained from this review will support clinical practice and inform research by providing a greater understanding of the quality of currently available mobile apps and their potential to support patient behavior change goals of physiotherapy care.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/29047
Highlights
Care delivered by physiotherapists involves a complex mix of biopsychosocial components that aim to facilitate engagement in positive health behaviors by patients, such as adherence to prescribed exercise programs or greater participation in physical activity [1,2,3,4,5]
Research suggests that positive patient behaviors are suboptimal and that behavioral interventions are frequently omitted from physiotherapy care [3]
Mobile apps are a form of digital health interventions that are receiving increasing attention for supporting care and driving behavior change [15], including patient behaviors such as self-management activities [7,16,17,18,19,20]
Summary
Care delivered by physiotherapists involves a complex mix of biopsychosocial components that aim to facilitate engagement in positive health behaviors by patients, such as adherence to prescribed exercise programs or greater participation in physical activity [1,2,3,4,5]. There is a dearth of evidence regarding the features of apps that are most conducive to delivering evidence-based BCTs, as well as how to evaluate and categorize these features [15] It was for this reason that the authors McKay, Slykerman, and Dunn [15] developed the App Behavior Change Scale (ABACUS) with the aim to support the assessment of the behavior change potential of mobile apps through quantification of BCTs. Care delivered by physiotherapists aims to facilitate engagement in positive health behaviors by patients (eg, adherence to exercise). Digital health interventions delivered via mobile apps are garnering attention for their ability to support behavior change They have potential to incorporate numerous behavior change techniques (BCTs) to support goals of physiotherapy care, including but not limited to self-monitoring, goal setting, and prompts/alerts. Despite their potential to support physiotherapy care, much is still unknown about what apps are available to consumers, the BCTs they use, their quality, and their potential to change behaviors
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