SAT0694 QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF MOBILE APPS DIRECTED FOR LUPUS PATIENTS

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is chronic disease that requires lifelong treatment with a multidisciplinary approach. Increasingly, patients use the internet and associated technology to access health-related information. Smartphone applications (apps) have become essential tools in this age and are widely-accessed by patients. These apps can be very helpful tools to inform patients about their illness, support them in their treatment plan, and help them connect with others. Unfortunately, healthcare apps remain largely unregulated. Objectives: We aim to evaluate the overall quality of patient-directed lupus apps with a focus on the accuracy and appropriateness of the health information contained in these apps. Methods: The 2 most commonly used app stores are Apple Store and Google Play. These stores were searched for the terms “lupus” and “SLE” during December 2018. The resulted apps (Patient oriented, English language, and free of charge) were analyzed and the following data was collected: app type (informational, tool, or both), features, and content. Tool apps are those used by patients to track symptoms, contained lupus action plan, appointment and medication reminders, and/or quizzes/gamification. App features included connection to external sites (social media, professional societies, online patient communities, healthcare provider), and security features including login/password protection and privacy policy statement. Apps were then rated using (with permission from originator) a published reliable and multidimensional scale: Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). The study authors were trained on MARS using the recommended slides and exercise. In addition, quality of health information contained in informational apps was rated using the published DISCERN instrument. Results: The search terms SLE and Lupus retrieved a total of 471 apps on Google Play store and a total of 198 apps on Apple Store. On Google Play, 14/471 met our inclusion criteria compared to 11/198 on Apple Store. Majority of Google apps were in the tools category representing 44%, followed by apps that are both tools and informational (31%), whereas informational apps were 25%. On the other hand, majority of Apple Store apps were both tools and informational (64%), followed by tools only apps (27%), and finally informational only apps (9%). The most common apps features were email login (37%) and links to external sites including social media platforms (31%). Two apps were identified as a potential source for misleading information claiming that certain homemade herbs/food has anti-inflammatory properties to treat lupus. The average MARS score for Google apps was 2.7/5 indicating poor apps quality. The average MARS score for Apple apps was 3.7 indicating acceptable apps quality. Overall, the functionality score was the highest (3.9/5) while the engagement score was the lowest (2.7/5) for both app stores. For apps that contained information for patients, DISCERN score was 2.15/5 and 3.12/5 for Google and Apple apps respectively indicating potentially important shortcomings in the quality of health information provided in these apps. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that a larger need is emerging for designing high-quality apps for patients with lupus. Healthcare organizations, professional societies, rheumatologists, and allied health professionals are encouraged to participate in promoting and creating high-quality apps for lupus patients. These apps are likely to contribute to improving the quality of care provided to these patients and can potentially extend care in the looming global shortage of rheumatologists. This is also an acknowledgement of the need to adapt to advancing communications technology as it integrates into many patients’ lives in this digital age. Disclosure of Interests: None declared