A gap exists between the wide variety of mobile health applications in the marketplace and the number that address the needs of patients who could benefit the most, a new survey found.

Ubiquitous smartphone ownership presents the possibility that mHealth apps can aid high-need, high-cost populations in managing their health. But mHealth apps have yet to make a difference in helping these patients.

“While the number of available mHealth apps has grown substantially, no clear strategy has emerged on how providers should evaluate and recommend such apps to patients,” said the study published in Health Affairs.

Those most closely involved with mHealth apps, including medical professional societies, insurers, and policy makers, have for the most part avoided formally recommending apps, which forces patients to seek advice from other sources.

The study’s researchers evaluated 137 patient-facing mHealth apps that were highly rated by consumers and recommended by experts and that targeted high-need, high-cost populations.

Even among those, researchers found a wide variety of apps in the marketplace but few that actually address patients’ needs. It also found that consumer ratings were poor indications of clinical utility or usability and that most apps did not respond appropriately when a user entered potentially dangerous health information.

“Going forward, data privacy and security will continue to be major concerns in the dissemination of mHealth apps,” the report’s authors wrote.

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