Tan R, Cvetkovski B, Kritikos V, O’Hehir RE, Lourenço O, Bousquet J, Bosnic-Anticevich S.
Up to 40% of the population worldwide is affected by allergic rhinitis, which carries a significant burden on individuals and society. Allergic rhinitis symptoms are often self-managed in the community pharmacy setting, with patients underestimating their symptoms and overestimating their ability for effective self-management. In the current technology world, the use of mobile Apps has become more and more popular and represents a promising tool for management of different conditions.
The objective of this study was to identify an effective App for the management of allergic rhinitis and/or asthma. All English and free of charge mobile health-related Apps from the Australian Apple store and Android Google Play store were included in this study and evaluated regarding three domains: accessibility in both App stores, alignment with theoretical principles of the self-management of allergic rhinitis and/or asthma and usability of the App using a mobile App rating scale.
Of a total of 418 Apps retrieved, 31 were evaluated. Many of the evaluated Apps fall short of the self-management principles and most within the field of allergic rhinitis and asthma only deal with either one or other condition. The MASK-air App achieved the highest mean rank and covered all self-management principles except a doctor appointment reminder, with a high rate of engagement.
