Amfiana GHERMAN1, Patrick ACHIMAȘ-CADARIU2,
Mădălina SUCALĂ*1
1Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Abstract
Health apps are changing the way patients access specialized care as the emergence of a commercial marketplace for such apps is giving the general public the ability to purchase or download health interventions at their convenience. However, currently there is a wide discrepancy between the availability of commercial health apps and the lack of data that supports them. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the health apps that are commercially available for patients that are looking for psychological interventions to prepare them for medical procedures. A systematic search was performed on GooglePlay and AppStore. We included apps that focused on helping patients prepare for a medical procedure and that used at least a psychological technique. Six apps met our inclusion criteria, targeting patients about to undergo medical procedures such as surgery, and aiming to reduce side anxiety, as well as to improve recovery. Although health app can increase patients’ access to specialized care, currently, none of the commercially available apps that are marketed to prepare patients for medical procedures have any empirical support.
Keywords: anxiety, mobile health, health apps
