Evaluation of the functionality, practicality, and quality of chronic myeloid leukaemia mobile health applications.

Background: Mobile health is an increasingly utilized healthcare technology. Within the field of oncology and haematology, smartphone applications (apps) can help empower patients to self-monitor their health and support medication adherence.1 Additionally, medication apps can offer additional features that can track disease symptoms, side effects, identify drug interactions, and support ongoing engagement with health.1 In patients living with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML), this technology can be especially beneficial in reducing the burden associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, routine laboratory and molecular testing, and managing side effects and complications.2 Aims: The aim of this study was to better understand the current mobile health technologies available to CML patients by systematically evaluating the functionality, practicality and quality of four CML apps. Method: As part of a larger study, ‘Evaluation of a Smartphone App (My CML) to Support Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia’, existing CML apps were identified and benchmarked using validated medication app scoring tools. The four apps identified were ‘My CML’, ‘CML Life’, ‘CML Today’ and ‘Know Your CML’. Two investigators (a clinical pharmacist and a pharmacy student) downloaded the Android and Apple versions of all four apps. They were not made aware beforehand that the ‘My CML’ app was being evaluated in the larger study. Each app was first assessed for practicality and functionality.3 This was followed by an assessment for quality using the MARS scoring tool, a validated instrument that rates apps according to four categories: engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality.4 Both investigators tested the apps for 10 min prior to rating them. Any major discrepancies in the assessment were identified post-evaluation and resolved between the two investigators. Results and discussion: In terms of functionality, practicality, and quality, the ‘My CML’ app consistently ranked the highest, while ‘CML Life’ ranked the lowest (Table 1). Contributing to the ‘My CML’ app’s high practicality and functionality score were its medication database and tracking capability, adherence statistics and charts, offline useability, and stability between Android and Apple versions, which were features not consistently present for the other three apps. None of the apps, however, offered multiple user support, visual aids for correct medication use, or gamification elements such as adherence rewards and customizable alert sounds. Using the MARS quality scoring tool, investigators rated the ‘My CML’ app the highest in nearly every category, noting its simple but engaging design, the accuracy of information, and the variety of features it provided (Table 1). Conclusion: Smartphone apps are useful tools that CML patients can use to enhance control of their health. Through a systematic evaluation of four apps currently on the market for CML patients, the ‘My CML’ app consistently ranked the highest in terms of functionality, practicality and quality. It is important to recognize that comparisons between apps are difficult as all four apps had the differing scope and intended purposes, which likely impacted app development. It is also crucial that further evaluations are completed by CML patients, as they are the end users and therefore the most important stakeholders in the evaluation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]