ARIA index to assess the quality of mobile health apps: A usability and reliability study
E. Rutledge, A. Comeau, C. Daum, A. Miguel Cruz, L. Liu
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AbstractThe ubiquity of smart devices has precipitated the growth of mobile health applications (mHealth apps), which aim to help users manage health conditions. Persons living with chronic health conditions, especially older adults, can benefit from the use of mHealth apps given their diverse uses. However, challenges persist with regulation of this industry. Thus, the quality of mHealth apps are often unknown. As no tools existed to assess the quality of mHealth apps for persons living with a health condition, care partners, or healthcare practitioners, we developed the Alberta Rating Index of Apps (ARIA), with a paper-based version validated in a previous study (Azad-Khaneghah, Roduta Roberts, & Liu, 2022). ARIA consists of 19 items rated on a Likert scale that ask users to reflect on the usability, trustworthiness, appropriateness, security, and satisfaction of the mHealth app. For example, one item reads “It would be easy for the user to understand the information provided by the app.” Subsequently, we developed a web-based version of the index. A web-based version may act to enhance accessibility, broaden the user audience, and improve functionality through computerized features, such as customized font size and automatic saving of progress. Older adults may benefit from these digitized features given the accessibility features available online to accommodate for a range of age-related impairments.Keywords: mHealth apps, usability, reliability, app quality, health management
E. Rutledge, A. Comeau, C. Daum, A. Miguel Cruz, L. Liu (2024). ARIA index to assess the quality of mobile health apps: A usability and reliability study. Gerontechnology, 23(2), 1-1
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2024.23.s.890.opp