Evaluation of Gynecology Patient-Oriented Free Mobile Android Medical Apps

Abstract

Introduction: Women's lives have always been marked by numerous questions and anxieties related to their reproductive system. Smartphones have contributed significantly to the development of and progress in modern medicine. At this moment, mobile medical applications in the field of gynecology offer quick and easy access to information about women's reproductive health, starting with puberty and ending with late menopause. Aim: The purpose of this study was to identify mobile applications in the field of gynecology that provide correct, easy to understand and evidence-based medical information. Materials and methods: The study took place between July 1-20, 2021. A search was carried out on the "Google Play" webpage using the keywords: pregnancy, fertility, ovulation, and menstrual cycle. Only applications in English were considered eligible. Each application was evaluated according to its general characteristics (country of origin/ranking/download count). We also evaluated six specific criteria for each individual application: interactivity, functionality, aesthetics, contents, benefits, and evidence-based aspects. Results: Eighty-five applications available on ″Google Play″ were selected and described. The extracted applications could be easily used by both patients and gynecologists. All analyzed applications were evaluated with almost the maximum score for interactivity, functionality, aesthetics, content, and benefits. None of the applications offered sufficient details to prove that the information provided was based on evidence. Conclusions: All the applications included in the study had an extremely attractive interface and were built to be easy to use. Unfortunately, none of the applications met the necessary criteria to be classified as evidence-based mobile medical applications.