TY  - JOUR
AU  - Shin, Jung-hye
AU  - Shields, Rachael
AU  - Lee, Jenny
AU  - Skrove, Zachary
AU  - Tredinnick, Ross
AU  - Ponto, Kevin
AU  - Fields, Beth
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/3/11
TI  - Quality and Accessibility of Home Assessment mHealth Apps for Community Living: Systematic Review
JO  - JMIR Mhealth Uhealth
SP  - e52996
VL  - 12
KW  - mobile app
KW  - mobile applications
KW  - mHealth
KW  - mobile health
KW  - app
KW  - apps
KW  - application
KW  - applications
KW  - mobile phone
KW  - mobile app rating system
KW  - occupational therapy
KW  - home assessment
KW  - web accessibility
KW  - aging in place
KW  - accessible
KW  - accessibility
KW  - quality
KW  - rating
KW  - gerontology
KW  - geriatric
KW  - geriatrics
KW  - older adult
KW  - older adults
KW  - elder
KW  - elderly
KW  - older person
KW  - older people
KW  - ageing
KW  - aging
KW  - systematic
KW  - synthesis
KW  - syntheses
KW  - PRISMA
KW  - Google Play
KW  - content analysis
KW  - functionality
KW  - WCAG
AB  - Background: Home assessment is a critical component of successful home modifications, enabling individuals with functional limitations to age in place comfortably. A high-quality home assessment tool should facilitate a valid and reliable assessment involving health care and housing professionals, while also engaging and empowering consumers and their caregivers who may be dealing with multiple functional limitations. Unlike traditional paper-and-pencil assessments, which require extensive training and expert knowledge and can be alienating to consumers, mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential to engage all parties involved, empowering and activating consumers to take action. However, little is known about which apps contain all the necessary functionality, quality appraisal, and accessibility. Objective: This study aimed to assess the functionality, overall quality, and accessibility of mHealth home assessment apps. Methods: mHealth apps enabling home assessment for aging in place were identified through a comprehensive search of scholarly articles, the Apple (iOS) and Google Play (Android) stores in the United States, and fnd.io. The search was conducted between November 2022 and January 2023 following a method adapted from PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). Reviewers performed a content analysis of the mobile app features to evaluate their functionality, overall quality, and accessibility. The functionality assessment used a home assessment component matrix specifically developed for this study. For overall quality, the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) was used to determine the apps’ effectiveness in engaging and activating consumers and their caregivers. Accessibility was assessed using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (A and AA levels). These 3 assessments were synthesized and visualized to provide a comprehensive evaluation. Results: A total of 698 apps were initially identified. After further screening, only 6 apps remained. Our review revealed that none of the apps used thoroughly tested assessment tools, offered all the functionality required for reliable home assessment, achieved the “good” quality threshold as measured by the MARS, or met the accessibility criteria when evaluated against WCAG 2.1. However, DIYModify received the highest scores in both the overall quality and accessibility assessments. The MapIt apps also showed significant potential due to their ability to measure the 3D environment and the inclusion of a desktop version that extends the app’s functionality. Conclusions: Our review revealed that there are very few apps available within the United States that possess the necessary functionality, engaging qualities, and accessibility to effectively activate consumers and their caregivers for successful home modification. Future app development should prioritize the integration of reliable and thoroughly tested assessment tools as the foundation of the development process. Furthermore, efforts should be made to enhance the overall quality and accessibility of these apps to better engage and empower consumers to take necessary actions to age in place. 
SN  - 2291-5222
UR  - https://mhealth.jmir.org/2024/1/e52996
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/52996
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38466987
DO  - 10.2196/52996
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/52996
ER  -