Assessment of mobile applications for drug incompatibility detection: an integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30968/jhphs.2025.164.1377Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the availability and quality of mobile applications designed for detecting drug incompatibilities. Methods: An integrative review was conducted on the Google Play Store and Apple App Selected. Terms in Portuguese, English, and Spanish related to “drug incompatibility” were used. Duplicate applications, applications in languages other than Portuguese, English, and Spanish, or applications that did not directly address drug incompatibilities (i.e., provided only general drug information) were excluded. The apps were assessed using the Portuguese version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) scale by two independent pharmacists. Results: Among 244 initially retrieved apps, only three met the inclusion criteria: Micromedex® IV Compatibility, Medscape, and Compatibilidad fármacos IV. Micromedex® achieved the highest average MARS score (4.51/5), particularly in information (4.75) and aesthetics (4.6), though it requires institutional subscription. The other two offered limited, monograph-based drug incompatibilities information. None were available in Portuguese, and only one was free. Conclusion: The analysis highlighted a lack of free mobile applications, in Portuguese and adapted to the Brazilian context, for drug incompatibilities detection, which reinforces the need to develop accessible digital applications to support clinical practice and patient safety.
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