David Bergeron1, Christian Iorio-Morin2, Mark Bigder3, Ayoub Dakson4, Matthew E Eagles5, Cameron A Elliott6, C Michael Honey3, Michelle Masayo Kameda-Smith7, Amit R L Persad8, Charles J Touchette9, Michael K Tso5, David Fortin9. 1. Division of Neurosurgery, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada. 2. Division of Neurosurgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: Christian.Iorio-Morin@USherbrooke.ca. 3. Division of Neurosurgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 4. Division of Neurosurgery, University of Dalhousie, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 5. Division of Neurosurgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 6. Division of Neurosurgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 7. Division of Neurosurgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 8. Division of Neurosurgery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. 9. Division of Neurosurgery, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In the past decade, smartphone applications (Apps) have experienced remarkable development across all fields of medicine, including neurosurgery. However, owing to a lack of regulatory oversight and peer review, a clear need exists for a comprehensive review and audit of the existing available Apps. In the present study, we systematically reviewed the existing mobile Apps in neurosurgery, evaluated their clinical use by neurosurgery residents in Canada, and performed a quality audit of the most popular Apps. METHODS: Indexed Apps were identified from either the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store using a comprehensive list of keywords related to neurosurgery. A subsequent cross-sectional survey of 76 Canadian neurosurgery residents was conducted, including a section on smartphone App use. We next evaluated the most popular Apps among the residents using the Healthcare Smartphone App Evaluation Tool and performed a quality audit of their content using established medical references. RESULTS: The survey identified 118 mobile Apps related to neurosurgery. The 3 most used Apps used by the current cohort of Canadian neurosurgery residents were Neurosurgery Survival Guide, Neuromind, and the Journal of Neurosurgery App. Each of these 3 Apps received an excellent score on the Healthcare Smartphone App Evaluation Tool. A quality audit of 30 pages of the Neurosurgery Survival Guide and 40 clinical scores of the Neuromind App, performed by 10 neurosurgery residents, failed to reveal inaccurate or false statements. CONCLUSION: The present study has highlighted the current landscape of neurosurgery mobile Apps and their use among neurosurgery residents.
BACKGROUND: In the past decade, smartphone applications (Apps) have experienced remarkable development across all fields of medicine, including neurosurgery. However, owing to a lack of regulatory oversight and peer review, a clear need exists for a comprehensive review and audit of the existing available Apps. In the present study, we systematically reviewed the existing mobile Apps in neurosurgery, evaluated their clinical use by neurosurgery residents in Canada, and performed a quality audit of the most popular Apps. METHODS: Indexed Apps were identified from either the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store using a comprehensive list of keywords related to neurosurgery. A subsequent cross-sectional survey of 76 Canadian neurosurgery residents was conducted, including a section on smartphone App use. We next evaluated the most popular Apps among the residents using the Healthcare Smartphone App Evaluation Tool and performed a quality audit of their content using established medical references. RESULTS: The survey identified 118 mobile Apps related to neurosurgery. The 3 most used Apps used by the current cohort of Canadian neurosurgery residents were Neurosurgery Survival Guide, Neuromind, and the Journal of Neurosurgery App. Each of these 3 Apps received an excellent score on the Healthcare Smartphone App Evaluation Tool. A quality audit of 30 pages of the Neurosurgery Survival Guide and 40 clinical scores of the Neuromind App, performed by 10 neurosurgery residents, failed to reveal inaccurate or false statements. CONCLUSION: The present study has highlighted the current landscape of neurosurgery mobile Apps and their use among neurosurgery residents.
Authors: Zach Pennington; Daniel Lubelski; Adham M Khalafallah; Jeff Ehresman; Daniel M Sciubba; Timothy F Witham; Judy Huang Journal: World Neurosurg Date: 2020-05-22 Impact factor: 2.104