An app aimed at people with arthritis to track their symptoms, medication, and to see how their symptoms are changing over time.
What does the app do?
This app enables the user to track their symptoms such as pain, fatigue (tiredness), and sleep disturbance. It also allows them to record their treatments, and medication. By recording their symptoms regularly, the app allows the user to gauge how their symptoms are changing over time, such as in response to new medication.
The Arthritis Power app is a registry, which means that the health data is collected is used for research.
For the complete app description, go to either Google Play (android) iTunes (apple) and for a detailed review, see Reviews.
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PROS
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CONS
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✔ Uses validated questionnaires to collect data about symptoms of arthritis.
✔ Can modify which questionnaires are used to focus on symptoms of most concern.
✔ Data is included in patient-led database for research on arthritis. This data cannot be linked to the person who provided it.
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✘ Look of the app is clunky and forms are slow to load.
✘ Hard to navigate, have to look hard to find all the functions.
✘ Long informed consent process when first sign up.
✘ No linking with other health concerns, life events or medication changes so tracks symptoms but doesn't suggest ways to manage symptoms.
✘ Research database is held in the USA, so unlikely for research to be undertaken in New Zealand.
✘ Medication tracking list has medications not available in NZ.
✘ Very detailed information based on United States scoring system. Very few healthcare professionals would be able to help a user understand them all and know what to do.
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Privacy and security
App requires a login for use. Read more about things you can do to improve your safety and security when using apps.
Review details
Date of review: July 2016
Platform reviewed: Android
Version: 1.2.0
References
The following references relate to articles about apps for arthritis.
- Grainger R, Townsley H, White B, et al. Apps for People With Rheumatoid Arthritis to Monitor Their Disease Activity: A Review of Apps for Best Practice and Quality. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2017 Feb 21;5(2):e7.
- Majeed-Ariss R, Baildam E, Campbell M, et al. Apps and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Adolescents' Use of Mobile Phone and Tablet Apps That Support Personal Management of Their Chronic or Long-Term Physical Conditions. J Med Internet Res. 2015 Dec 23;17(12):e287.
- Nishiguchi S, Ito H, Yamada M, Yoshitomi H, et al. Self-assessment tool of disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis by using a smartphone application. Telemed J E Health. 2014 Mar;20(3):235-40.
Clinical review
Reviewer: Rebecca Grainger, Rheumatologist, University of Otago and Hutt Valley DHB.
Date of review: July 2016
Comments: "This app is most useful for a person with inflammatory arthritis interested in collecting detailed information about their symptoms, medication and contributing to research about arthritis. Patients may experience the benefit of detailed tracking of symptoms and medications. "Feel good factor" of contributing to research."
Safety concerns: "No safety concerns about the use of this app but may be time consuming to enter large amount of data."
New Zealand relevance: "Research database is held in the USA, so unlikely for research to be undertaken in New Zealand. Medication tracking list has medications not available in NZ."
MARS review
The formal app review is based on the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) developed by researchers at Queensland University of Technology, Australia.(1) It is designed to score apps on a few comprehensive dimensions as shown below. Each dimension comprises several items which are rated on a 5-point scale from “1. Inadequate” to “5. Excellent”.
Read more about the MARS scale.
The mean score is the mean of two independent reviewers' ratings:
| Dimension |
Score |
| Engagement (5 items) |
3.6 |
| Functionality (4 items) |
3.1 |
| Aesthetics (3 items) |
3.3 |
| Information (7 items) |
3.6 |
| App quality mean Score |
3.4 |
References
- Stoyanov SR, Hides L, Kavanagh DJ, et al. Mobile app rating scale: a new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015 Mar 11;3(1):e27. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.3422.
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