Mobile health application usage: Istanbul province example

Abstract

Objective: Mobile health applications provide opportunities for individuals to monitortheir health and access their health information whenever and whereverthey want. The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency with which smartphone owners use health-related mobile applications. Materials and Method: This study, which is a descriptive study, was carried out between December 2017 and January 2018 on 660 people who agreedto participate in the research in private hospitals that allow European-based work in Istanbulto participate in the study and outpatient services. A 31-item mobile application and a set of questions assessing sociodemographic characteristics were used to collect the data. The findings obtained in the study were subjected to appropriate descriptive statistical analyses transferred to the SPSS 25 computer program for Windows. For the significance level of the statistical tests, p <0.05 was accepted. Findings: The health-related mobile app download rate was found to be low among mobile phone users. It was determined that the most common health practices used werethe step-by-step, fitness, and family physician practices, and the majority of the participants used them on a daily basis. The general reasons for not downloading mobile health applications were determined to be opting for applications related to interests, internet spending costs, and the collection of data. Conclusion: Mobile health applications are becoming increasingly costly, and an increasing number of patients are receiving continuous acceleration, prolonged treatment methods, limited and inadequate human power, it may be a solution step in eliminating hardware and building deficiencies.