Abstract
Objective The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence regarding the effects
of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) for self-management outcomes in patients
with asthma and to assess the functionalities of effective interventions.
Methods We systematically searched Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of
Controlled Trials. We included English-language studies that evaluated the effects
of smartphone or tablet computer apps on self-management outcomes in asthmatic patients.
The characteristics of these studies, effects of interventions, and features of mHealth
apps were extracted.
Results A total of 10 studies met all the inclusion criteria. Outcomes that were assessed
in the included studies were categorized into three groups (clinical, patient-reported,
and economic). mHealth apps improved asthma control (five studies) and lung function
(two studies) from the clinical outcomes. From the patient-reported outcomes, quality
of life (three studies) was statistically significantly improved, while there was
no significant impact on self-efficacy scores (two studies). Effects on economic outcomes
were equivocal, so that the number of visits (in two studies) and admission and hospitalization-relevant
outcomes (in one study) statistically significantly improved; and in four other studies,
these outcomes did not improve significantly. mHealth apps features were categorized
into seven categories (inform, instruct, record, display, guide, remind/alert, and
communicate). Eight of the 10 mHealth apps included more than one functionality. Nearly
all interventions had the functionality of recording user-entered data and half of
them had the functionality of providing educational information and reminders to patients.
Conclusion Multifunctional mHealth apps have good potential in the control of asthma and in
improving the quality of life in such patients compared with traditional interventions.
Further studies are needed to identify the effectiveness of these interventions on
outcomes related to medication adherence and costs.
Keywords
asthma - chronic diseases - patient self-care - e-health - smartphone
