eHealth for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections: a scoping review

Background: The increase in smartphone use and mobile health applications (apps) holds potential to apps reduce detect healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) clinical practice. Aim: To obtain an overview of available for HAI prevention, by selecting the clinically relevant scoring functionality, quality usefulness. Methods: This scoping review iOS Android app stores uses in-house-developed tool (scraper https://holtder.github.io/talos) systematically aggregate prevention. are evaluated on assessed using 'Mobile Application Rating Scale' (MARS), infection Findings: Using scraper with CDC topics through 146 search terms resulted 92,726 potentially apps, which 28 met inclusion criteria. majority these have functionality inform (27 apps) or instruct (20/28). MARS scores were high following domains: (4.19/5), aesthetics (3.49/5), information (3.74/5), relatively low engagement (2.97/5), resulting a good average score (3.57/5). Conclusion: Low restrict that intend instruct, possibly explained often-academic nature development apps. Although number prevention increased 60% 5 years, proportion is limited. variation lack user engagement, could be improved co-creation setting. (c) 2021 Author(s). Published Elsevier Ltd behalf Healthcare Infection Society. open access article under CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).