A trust score system

Identify the Most Relevant Health App for Your Health Objectives

AppGuide publishes the health app review report coming from TherAppX, called the TherAppX Trust Report. It is designed to help you quickly identify important features regarding a given app and compare apps amongst each other using a simple letter-graded score.

How does it work?

A Trust Score for Every Health Apps on the Market

Details of the Trust Score can be found in each app summary page found on AppGuide.

A Trust Score is calculated for every health apps on the market and track app updates to modify the Trust Score accordingly.

322,020

May 2024

Score calculation

Unbiased Process

By adding the points of the key elements under each of the 4 domains, we can calculate a percentage that is converted into a letter score according to the following scheme:

≥ 80%
60%-79%
40-59%
20%-39%
< 20%

TherAppX Trust Report

A Set of Scores to Support Decision Making

Each criterion you see detailed here leads to a score for each area (evidence and endorsement, privacy, security and usability).

TherAppX Trust Report

Latest version v2022-10

Classification

Covered health conditions

The developer claims to offer features targeting these health conditions.

Data-oriented features

Features that facilitate health data generation, collection, sharing and interpretation by patients.

Manual monitoring: Patients can manually record information about their health (e.g. blood pressure data, anxiety assessments, mood journals, etc.).
Automatic monitoring: Patients can use a device to automatically record information about their health (e.g. blood glucose sensors, step trackers, etc).
Personal health record: Patients can collect health or medical data for multiple conditions in a personal health record.
Manual data exporting: Patients can manually export data for a clinician or caregiver (e.g. send a report by SMS or email).
Data sharing with clinician or caregivers: Patients may synchronously share their data to a portal or app used by their healthcare professional or caregiver.
Risk warning: Patients may be informed of possible health risks based on an interpretation of their recorded health data.
Clinical guidance based on data: Patients can be guided through the management of time-sensitive events based on interpretation of their recorded health data (e.g. healthcare professional referral).
Diagnostic support based on data: Patients can be informed of the presence or absence of a health problem based on interpretation of their recorded health data.

Care-oriented features

Features that promote self-care and self-management of conditions.

Objective planning: Patients may set objectives or plan actions for themselves to achieve their health goals.
Educational content: Patients may access texts or videos to learn about a condition and how to achieve their health goals.
Guided self-care activities: Patients may access guided exercises or activities to perform actions and achieve their health goals.
Guided self-care plan: Patients may access a series of planned guided steps to perform actions and achieve their health goals.
Online community: Patients may access peer support and interact with clinicians or other patients to achieve their health goals.
Local services: Patients may access information on local or national services relevant to their health goals.
Chatbot interventions: Patients may interact with an automated agent to achieve their health goals.
Action reminders: Patients may receive reminders to perform actions and achieve their health goals.
Auto-generated feedback: Patients may receive feedback based on their recorded actions to achieve their health goals.
Dose calculator: Patients may receive personalized medication dose adjustments to achieve their health goals. May require licensing as a medical device.
Reward system: Patients may receive incentives to perform certain actions.
Virtual consultations: Patients may have access to a coach or health professional as a complement to the information and activities provided in the app.

Manufacturer

Name: Manufacturer name
Location: Manufacturer location

Evidence and Endorsement

Evidence of acceptability or feasibility: A point is provided to this app if there is at least one peer-reviewed study demonstrating the app's acceptability, as found on a research database (e.g. Pubmed, Medline). The evidence is in the form of a clinical trial, a feasibility study, a review, a survey or other published evidence.
Licensed by a regulatory organization¹: A point is provided to this app if it is licensed by at least one regulatory organization (e.g. FDA, European Union, Health Canada). A regulatory decision means that a regulatory body has approved marketing for medical purposes after assessing supporting evidence and the tool's safety.
Developed by a clinician: A point is provided to this app if health professionals are involved in its development.
Recommended by an independent organization: A point is provided to this app if it is recommended by at least one independent non-regulatory organization, such as health technology assessment agencies, government, clinical association or research institution.
Clinical value demonstrated by a peer-reviewed study¹: A point is provided to this app if there is at least one peer-reviewed study proving the app's clinical value, as found in a research database (e.g. Pubmed, Medline). The evidence is in the form of a clinical trial or other published clinical evidence.
Economic value demonstrated by a peer-reviewed study¹: A point is provided to this app if there is at least one peer-reviewed study proving the app's economic value, as found in a research database (e.g. Pubmed, Medline). The evidence is in the form of an economic study such as a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Privacy

Restricted access to accounts: A point is provided to this app if it does not give information about other apps installed on the device (creator, name, type of account, etc.).
Restricted access to unique device identification: A point is provided to this app if it does not give information about the device's hardware components, which could be used to track the user on different web services.
Restricted access to the phone subscriber identity (SIM): A point is provided to this app if it does not give information about the mobile phone services and provider, which could be used to track the user on different messaging and phone services.
Restricted access to phone number: A point is provided to this app if it does not give information on the phone number, which could be used to follow the user on services that use this data or to attack using spam, phishing or two-factor authentication (2FA) tactics.
Right to be forgotten²: A point is provided to this app if its privacy policy clearly indicates how a user may access, rectify, delete and object to the information collected about them.
Data privacy officer contact available²: A point is provided to this app if its privacy policy includes the contact information of its data privacy officer.
Data privacy legislation²: A point is provided to this app if its privacy policy indicates which information privacy legislation(s) the developer complies with (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR).

Security

Recently updated: A point is provided to this app if it has been updated at least 1 time in the last 6 months, significantly reducing technical vulnerability and associated risks.
Restricted access to device administrator privileges: A point is provided to this app if it cannot gain administrator access to your device.
Restricted access to device debugging details: A point is provided to this app if it cannot gain debugging access to your device, which could expose privileged details and sensitive information.
Compliant to one or more security certification: A point is provided to this app if it declares compliance with one or more security certifications (e.g. ISO/IEC 27017, ISO 27001, PCI, SOC 2, HITRUST, MASVS).

Usability

Easy to understand: A point is provided to this app if it is easy to understand (grade level below 8) as defined by the Automated Readability Index (ARI) readability tool.
User satisfaction on App Store: A point is provided to this app if user satisfaction averaged at least 4 out of 5 stars on App Store.
Free of distracting ads: A point is provided to this app if it is free of unrelated ads during app use.
Sufficient support section: A point is provided to this app if it provides appropriate resources to adequately help users who experience problems with the app (e.g. support section, knowledge base, FAQs).
Shortened version of the privacy policy available ³: A point is provided to this app if it proposes an overview of the privacy policy of fewer than 150 words that includes a description of the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) processed, purpose and retention policy.
Compliant to a design standard: A point is provided if the app manufacturer declares compliance with one or more design standard(s) related to accessibility, usability, and inclusivity (e.g. ISO 9241, WCAG, ADA, etc.).

These points are only included in the evidence and endorsement score if the app provides a sufficient level of intervention suggestive of significant impact on patient health, as indicated by the presence of at least one the following features: Automatic monitoring, Risk warning, Clinical guidance based on data, Diagnostic support based on data, Guided self-care activities, Guided self-care plan, Chatbot interventions and Dose calculator.
These points are only included in the privacy score if the app collects personally identifiable information, as specified in the developer’s privacy policy or website.
These points are only included in the usability score if the app collects personally identifiable information, as specified in the developer’s privacy policy or website.