Aims
Frailty is a prevalent and significant health condition in older adults, and mobile health applications (MHAs) offer a promising avenue to enhance its detection and management. This scoping review was conducted to identify and evaluate existing MHAs on frailty, examining their characteristics and quality.
Methods
Between July and August 2023, two independent researchers systematically searched the Apple App Store and Google Play Store using the keywords “Frailty”, “Frail”, “Geriatrics”, “Geriatric”, and “Older Adults”. All applications with a potential focus on frailty were considered for inclusion and were excluded if they were not available in English, had no relevant health-related content, did not address frailty, or required the use of external devices. Data were extracted using a pre-specified template. App quality was evaluated using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), which rates apps in four domains: engagement, functionality, aesthetics and information.
Results
Thirteen MHAs were identified. Nineteen clinical frailty tools were referenced across the applications. Frailty content included identification (n=12), definition (n=6), management (n=6), risk factors (n=4), prognosis (n=2), and screening (n=1). All applications targeted healthcare professionals, but few targeted carers (n=2) or patients (n=1). Most applications (n=12) included interactive features. Regarding quality, applications scored highest in functionality and lowest in engagement.
Conclusion
MHAs have potential to help healthcare professionals to identify and understand frailty. Their limited focus on patient education, carer support, and frailty management highlights the need for further development. Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of these tools and explore ways to enable timely and effective intervention.