Neurosurgery Apps

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Smartphones are used daily by most neurosurgery residents. Identified usage patterns are associated with perceived gains in efficacy and challenges in privacy and data reliability.

Creating and improving workflows that address these usage patterns has a greater potential to improve privacy than changing policies and enforcing regulations ¹⁾

Due to a lack of regulatory oversight and peer-review, there is a clear need for comprehensive review and audit of the existing available Apps.

There is an overall positive impression of the use of perioperative mHealth apps. However, further studies are required to assess the impact that they have on patients' care and healthcare professional services ²⁾.

In a study, Bergeron et al., aimed to systematically review existing mobile Apps in neurosurgery, evaluate their clinical use by neurosurgery residents in Canada, and perform a quality audit of the most popular Apps.

Indexed Apps were identified on either 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 application use. We then evaluated the most popular Apps among residents using the Healthcare Smartphone App Evaluation Tool (HSAET) and performed a quality audit of their content based on established medical references.

The survey identified 118 mobile Apps related to neurosurgery. The three 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 three Apps received an excellent score on the HSAET. A quality audit of 30 pages of the Neurosurgery Survival Guide and 40 clinical scores of the Neuromind App, performed by ten neurosurgery residents, failed to reveal inaccurate or false statements.

This study highlights the current landscape of neurosurgery mobile Apps and their use among neurosurgery residents ³⁾.

The majority of cancer-related patient educational materials (PEMs) were written at too difficult reading levels for American patients ⁴⁾.

The connectivity through smartphone applications (apps) has transcended the spatial and temporal limitations, thereby enabling easy access to virtually infinite storehouse of knowledge. Although there are numerous neurosurgery related apps, yet there is still a dearth of quality apps that may serve the purpose.

Development of web-based technologies has divided medical professionals into traditional and modernized learners. Mobile apps permit knowledge to be structured visually to facilitate its easy diffusion in the peer community. A technologically demanding branch like Neurosurgery inevitably needs innovative, cost effective apps with trust worthy content. Relevant apps have a high potential to be used as an excellent resource for effectual neurosurgical education beyond the limitations of time and place ⁵⁾.

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