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BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Sleep Apnea | Research article

Quality analysis of smart phone sleep apps in China: can apps be used to conveniently screen for obstructive sleep apnea at home?

Authors: Zhao-feng Xu, Xin Luo, Jianbo Shi, Yinyan Lai

Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder with a high prevalence in China. Standard diagnosis of OSA requires polysomnography (PSG). Currently, smart phone applications (apps) are widely used as an important source of health guidance. However, the quality of the information provided by these apps has not been carefully assessed.

Methods

We searched for sleep apps available in China. We designed an evaluation scale that included scientific, functionality and usability, and accountability domains. The Scientific domain included an index of 16 items to evaluate the scientific quality of the apps for their level of adherence to PSG. The functionality and usability domain included 10 items to evaluate the functions of apps and 1 item to define whether the apps needed to connect with other devices. The accountability domain included 9 items that came from the Silberg Scale to evaluate whether the information provided by apps were trustable or not. We then calculated the sum of all domains. We also evaluated the popularity of each app.

Results

A total of 2379 apps were found, and 127 met the inclusion criteria. The mean total score of the apps was 14.23 ± 3.93. The mean scores of scientific basis, functionality and usability, and accountability were 5.51 ± 2.58, 2.90 ± 1.84, and 2.90 ± 1.84. The scientific scores of apps that could connect to other devices were higher than those of apps that worked alone (mean score: 5.26 vs. 4.17, P < 0.001). The functionality and usability score was correlated with the accountability score, and the coefficient of correlation was 0.304 (P = 0.001).

Conclusions

Apps that could connect to other devices were more scientific and powerful than those that worked alone. Multifunctional apps were more popular and reliable. Because of the low quality of sleep apps in China, more work is necessary to create an ideal app.
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Metadata
Title
Quality analysis of smart phone sleep apps in China: can apps be used to conveniently screen for obstructive sleep apnea at home?
Authors
Zhao-feng Xu
Xin Luo
Jianbo Shi
Yinyan Lai
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6947
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-019-0916-7

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