title: Reporting and understanding the safety and adverse effect profile of mobile apps for psychosocial interventions: An update.
abstract: Recent years have seen a rapidly increasing trend towards the delivery of health technology through mobile devices. Smartphones and tablet devices are thus becoming increasingly popular for accessing information and a wide range of services, including health care services. Modern mobile apps can be used for a variety of reasons, ranging from education for the patients and assistance to clinicians to delivery of interventions. Mobile phone apps have also been established to benefit patients in a scope of interventions across numerous medical specialties and treatment modalities. Medical apps have their advantages and disadvantages. It is important that clinicians have access to knowledge to make decisions regarding the use of medical apps on the basis of risk-benefit ratio. Mobile apps that deliver psycho social interventions offer unique challenges and opportunities. A number of reviews have highlighted the potential use of such apps. There is a need to describe, report and study their side effects too. The adverse effects associated with these apps can broadly be divided into: (1) those resulting from the security and safety concerns; (2) those arising from the use of a particular psycho social intervention; and (3) those due to the interaction with digital technology. There is a need to refine and reconsider the safety and adverse effects in this area. The safety profile of a mobile PSI app should describe its safety profile in: (1) privacy and security; (2) adverse effects of psychotherapy; and (3) adverse effects unique to the use of apps and the internet. This is, however, a very new area and further research and reporting is required to inform clinical decision making.
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Farooq
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Naeem
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gire
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Shuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Yumeen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Syed
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Farhad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shokraneh
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Clive
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Farooq Naeem, Shuo Xiang, Megan Yang, Department of Psychiatry, Queens University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farooq
keywords: Health; Media; Mobile; Privacy; Psycho social; Security; Side effects