Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Eczema Apps and Conformance With Clinical Guidelines
The large variance in quality of eczema apps highlights the need for quality assurance mechanisms for health apps and guidance for clinicians that would enable them to make personalized recommendations for patients and caregivers. Researchers evaluated the quality and comprehensiveness of self-management eczema smartphone apps. The systematic assessment criteria were based on conformance with international eczema guidelines. Among the findings:
- 98 apps were assessed: 82 (84%) provided educational information; 38 (39%) tracking functions; and 13 (13%) both.
- 34% of apps provided misleading information, particularly regarding aspects of treatment and disease progression of eczema.
- Only 15% provided international guideline supported information on pharmacological therapies and 16% on nonpharmacological therapies.
- None of the included apps complied with all criteria for educational information, tracking functions or health information principles.
Citation:
Van Galen LS, et al. Eczema apps conformance with clinical guidelines: A systematic assessment of functions, tools and content. [Published online ahead of print July 9, 2019]. Br J Dermatol. doi: 10.1111/bjd.18152.
How often do we have a patient tell us, "I read it online..."? Usually I have tended to ignore what the patient has "learned" online and simply focus on what is medically documented and important to that patient. This study enumerates the deficiencies of online information about atopic dermatitis. The authors checked almost 100 smartphone apps in several languages and found that less than 20% followed international guidelines regarding treatment, either OTC or by prescription. None were both comprehensively accurate and adequate for tracking symptoms. With this data we can continue to encourage our patients to pay attention to trained healthcare providers rather than unsupervised online information sources. — Joseph Fowler, Jr., MD, Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Louisville, KY