TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ko, Siyeon
AU  - Lee, Jisan
AU  - An, Doyeon
AU  - Woo, Hyekyung
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/3/1
TI  - Menstrual Tracking Mobile App Review by Consumers and Health Care Providers: Quality Evaluations Study
JO  - JMIR Mhealth Uhealth
SP  - e40921
VL  - 11
KW  - mobile app
KW  - period
KW  - menstrual cycle
KW  - mHealth
KW  - mobile health
KW  - evaluation
KW  - women’s health
KW  - health care provider
KW  - consumer
KW  - menstrual app
KW  - digital health app
KW  - health screening
KW  - consumer satisfaction
AB  - Background: Women’s menstrual cycle is an important component of their overall health. Physiological cycles and associated symptoms can be monitored continuously and used as indicators in various fields. Menstrual apps are accessible and can be used to promote overall female health. However, no study has evaluated these apps’ functionality from both consumers’ and health care providers’ perspectives. As such, the evidence indicating whether the menstrual apps available on the market provide user satisfaction is insufficient. Objective: This study was performed to investigate the key content and quality of menstrual apps from the perspectives of health care providers and consumers. We also analyzed the correlations between health care provider and consumer evaluation scores. On the basis of this analysis, we offer technical and policy recommendations that could increase the usability and convenience of future app. Methods: We searched the Google Play Store and iOS App Store using the keywords “period” and “menstrual cycle” in English and Korean and identified relevant apps. An app that met the following inclusion criteria was selected as a research app: nonduplicate; with >10,000 reviews; last updated ≤180 days ago; relevant to this topic; written in Korean or English; available free of charge; and currently operational. App quality was evaluated by 6 consumers and 4 health care providers using Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS). We then analyzed the correlations among MARS scores, uMARS scores, star ratings, and the number of reviews. Results: Of the 34 apps, 31 (91%) apps could be used to predict the menstrual cycle, and 2 (6%) apps provided information pertinent to health screening. All apps that scored highly in the MARS evaluation offer a symptom logging function and provide the user with personalized notifications. The “Bom Calendar” app had the highest MARS (4.51) and uMARS (4.23) scores. The MARS (2.22) and uMARS (4.15) scores for the “Menstrual calendar—ovulation & pregnancy calendar” app were different. In addition, there was no relationship between MARS and uMARS scores (r=0.32; P=.06). Conclusions: We compared consumer and health care provider ratings for menstrual apps. Continuous monitoring of app quality from consumer and health care provider perspectives is necessary to guide their development and update content. 
SN  - 2291-5222
UR  - https://mhealth.jmir.org/2023/1/e40921
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/40921
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36857125
DO  - 10.2196/40921
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/40921
ER  -