Table 1 Available studies investigating mobile health in male patients suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Study | Country | App | Sample size (n) | Age, yr Mean (SD) | Main findings | Limitations acknowledged by authors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kim, 2014 [3] | Korea | Smartphone version of the IPSS | 1581 | 58.4 (7.2) | No differences between the paper and the smartphone versions of the IPSS in terms of total score and each item of the IPSS score across all LUTS severity groups. Feasibility: 48.0% stated that the smartphone version was more feasible, 26.5% stated that the paper version was more feasible, and 19.0% stated that both of the versions were feasible. Preference: 51.8% preferred the smartphone version, 20.2% preferred the paper version, and 22.5% showed no preference. | Only participants who had smartphones could participate. |
Morselli, 2020 [4] | Italy | MyBPHCare (Ydeal, Portugal) | 24 | 60 (55–64)° | Compliance: 95% within the first 45 days. 58.3% of patients requested clarifications/info via messenger. All patients expressed their satisfaction after one month. | Small sample size. No control group and mid-term follow up. |
Lee, 2021[5] | USA | PERSONAL | 19 | 70 (7) | On a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), the participants agreed that: - the app was easy to use (4.3 ± 1.0) - they could imagine people learning to use it quickly (4.2 ± 0.9) - they felt confident using the app (4.4 ± 0.8) 58% of the participants reported that the app could help people like them manage their urinary symptoms | Black or African American participants not recruited. Inclusion of highly educated participants with a high socioeconomic status. Use of detailed baseline and follow-up questionnaires. |
Wang, 2021 [6] | USA | PERSONAL | 19 | 70 (7) | 9 patients felt that the app changed their perception of their health or LUTS management: 8 reported increased awareness of symptoms and 1 was able to adjust his fluid intake to improve LUTS. | Need for less structured interviews in more diverse patient populations. |
Liu, 2022 [7] | China | EPSS | 79 | 70.4 (6.6) | Full-understanding rates in patients aged >70 and < 70 years were 50% and 64.1%, respectively (p = 0.206). Significant correlation between EPSS, VPSS and assessment by urology specialists. | Some relevant clinical data were not present (ongoing medical treatments, comorbidities, urine flow rates, and postvoiding residuals). Patients were not divided between first-visit and follow-up group. |
Kim, 2022 [8] | Korea | Healthy Bladder-VD (Soundable Health, Inc.) | 78 | 55 (40–65)° | Higher scores in the convenience and satisfaction area were reported by patients using the mobile app VD compared to those using the paper-based VD. Overall preference for using the mobile app instead of the paper-based VD: 9 out of 10 (7.82 ± 2.68). Good correlation between the two methods for nocturnal urine volume, nocturnal polyuria index, total number of voids, number of nocturnal voids, and maximal bladder capacity. | Background noise. |
