| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: The use of mobile phones is increasing worldwide. Mobile apps (mobile
phones, patient monitoring devices, and personal digital assistants) are becoming
rapidly available and are being used as an essential tool in promoting health,
preventing disease and medical education. Objective: The aim was to characterize
mobile applications (apps) used on mobile devices on digital platforms that address
topics about gynecology and obstetrics. Moreover, to assess the efficacy of mobile
applications to improve adherence to medication in cancer treatment. Methods: The
study was divided into two steps. The first step involved a search at the online
iTunes App Store (Apple Inc, Brazil), and Google Play Store (Google Inc, Brazil)
using Lenovo Vibe K5 and iPhone 6S telephones. The Mesh terms "gynecology" and
"Obstetrics," were applied separately. The following information was included: name,
description, app developer, category (medicine, health and fitness, education),
update data, version, classification, language, app store or stores in which the app
was available, and the search term or terms that retrieved the app, as well as the
practical and functionality features. Eligible apps were initially screened and then
downloaded for functionality and quality assessment using the Mobile App Rating
Scale (MARS). The second step involved the elaboration protocol review systematic.
The databases MEDLINE, Embase, SciELO, Scopus and Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews will be used to search for articles from January 2008. Clinical
Trials, Controlled Clinical Trials, Randomized Controlled Trials using mobile
applications in patients to aid adherence to medication in cancer treatment will be
included. The primary outcome is concerning adherence to medicines in cancer
treatment. The secondary issue is about Improvement in Self-care/ quality of life and
control of signs and symptoms. Three independent reviewers will select trials and
extract data from the original publications. The risk of bias will be assessed
according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data synthesis will be performed using
the Review Manager software (RevMan V.5.2.3). To assess heterogeneity, we will
compute the I2 statistic. The heterogeneity of the studies will be evaluated in the
funnel plot. Additionally, a quantitative synthesis will be used if the included studies
are sufficiently homogenous. Results: Three hundred and fourteen apps were found,
and 79 were excluded. The category description was: 103(44%) were books,
journals, magazines, manuals, guidelines or dictionaries; Medicine was the principal application area with 163(69%) apps, and there has been significant annual growth
since 2010. The inclusion criteria were the download frequency and publication time.
The ten most downloaded applications from the last two years were selected and
evaluated according to the MARS scale, and the average quality was between 4.73
and 1.74. Conclusion: In recent years, apps for smartphones and tablets in
gynecology and obstetrics are increasingly notable especially for general health
information; however, there is a limitation in more complex applications such as the
use on the decision-making processes by professionals (care based on scientific
evidence which includes algorithms) and self-care. Moreover, app-based studies are
the future of medical research. | |
