Mobile phone applications in management of enuresis: The good, the bad, and the unreliable!. Issue 2 (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Myint, Michael; Adam, Ahmed; Herath, Sampath; Smith, Grahame
• Is Part Of: Journal of pediatric urology. Volume 12:Issue 2(2016)
• Page Start: 112.e1
• Page End: 112.e6
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: Smartphone -- Applications -- Apps -- Mobile application -- Enuresis -- Bladder diary; Pediatric urology -- Periodicals; Urologic Diseases -- Periodicals; Urogenital Diseases -- Periodicals; Urologic Surgical Procedures -- Periodicals; Child; Infant; Urologie pédiatrique -- Périodiques; Appareil urinaire -- Maladies -- Périodiques; Pédiatrie; Urologie; Pediatric urology; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 618.926
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2015.09.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1477-5131

Abstract

Summary: Introduction: The proliferation of medical-type applications or 'apps' on smartphones is a typical example of the impact technology has had on medical practice. Maintaining a bladder diary is a recommended part of evaluating the effect of interventions for patients suffering from enuresis. Traditional pen-and-paper bladder diaries have poor completion rates, inconsistent patterns in data entry, and are deficient in validation. Electronic bladder diaries have been proposed to overcome these obstacles. With increasing numbers of smartphone apps available to the general public, it is important to distinguish well-designed apps for childhood enuresis. Purpose: To identify, evaluate, and rank all available mobile-phone apps for the management of childhood enuresis. Methods: On August 21, 2014, a search was conducted on iTunes, Android Play Store, and BlackBerry World for smartphone apps using the following search terms: bladder, bedwetting, bladder diary, enuresis, incontinence, and wetting . Apps that did not have a bladder diary function and that were unrelated to the investigation, follow-up, and treatment of childhood enuresis were excluded. Apps were rated by a paediatric urology consultant, fellow, registrar, and resident medical officer using standardised criteria including: design; ease of use; languages; quality of instructions; security; accordance with ICCS definition of enuresis; and ability to store histories; record bowel habits; transfer data to other devices; and print data. Results: Across all three search platforms, a total of 1041 apps were identified. Only 24 were included and reviewed based on exclusion criteria. Average ratings for apps ranged from 10 to 30.75 out of 50 based on standardised criteria. Discussion: Smartphone apps are playing an increasingly significant role in the management of enuresis in place of pen-and-paper bladder diaries. Apps available to the general public vary in quality and it can be difficult for patients to identify one appropriate for use. We found apps with higher ratings consistently had engaging interfaces, were easy to use, and defined the primary purpose clearly. Lower ratings and performance often was caused by poor quality of experience through "freezing"/"crashing." Conclusion: Bladder diary apps can eliminate disadvantages of pen-and-paper diaries in the management of enuresis. Currently, apps available vary in quality. The three best-rated apps currently available are My Dryness Tracker, Bedwetting Tracker, and HapPee Time . There is room for medical associations to collaborate with developers for further app development. Table Summary of results. Platform Apple alone 13 apps Android alone 7 apps Apple and Android 4 apps Price Free 18 Apps (75% of apps) Paid AUD $1.09–6.49 (median $2.49) App size 121 kb–20.7 Mb (median 1.95 Mb) Date of update 16/03/2010–21/08/2014 Average app ratings 10–30.75 (median 22)