Comparison of Mindfulness Apps Mindfulness-Practice for Managing Persistent Pain Due To Musculoskeletal Disorders
Mentor 1
Bhagwant Sindhu
Start Date
28-4-2023 12:00 AM
Description
Mindfulness practice has gained in popularity among the general public and rehabilitation professionals (Occupational and Physical Therapists) for self-management of pain, stress, and sleep. Due to the rise in popularity of mindfulness practice there has been an increase in the number of mindfulness practice apps available for users to practice guided meditation at any time. The goal of our multidisciplinary team is to develop mindfulness-practice based intervention protocols for managing persistent pain due to musculoskeletal disorders. However, it has not been clear to our team which mindfulness practice app should be used as part of future studies. The purpose of this study was to compare features and quality of different popular mindfulness-practice apps to inform methodology for future studies. Methods: In this study we selected the two highest rated mindfulness apps (Calm, Headspace), and an app developed by our collaborators at University of Wisconsin-Madison (Healthy Minds Program). We conducted literature reviews on the use of the three apps for managing sleep, pain, and psychological distress. In addition, with utilization of a randomizer tool on google each team member was assigned two apps to review and practice each app 20-50 minutes for 10 days. Each team member used the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) to rate the quality of each app assigned. Results: The total mean score for app quality (engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information) were similar for Calm (3.25), Headspace (3.75), and Healthy Minds Program (3.75). Additionally, across 13 different features evaluated, all the apps had similar features. Conclusion: All three apps are of similar quality and similar in improving sleep, pain, and psychological distress. However, the Healthy Minds Program is the most suitable app to use in future research studies as well as for incorporating it into clinical practice given that it is available to users at no cost. Future studies need to be conducted to compare the influence of Calm, Headspace, and Healthy Minds Program for improving pain, sleep, and psychological distress.
Comparison of Mindfulness Apps Mindfulness-Practice for Managing Persistent Pain Due To Musculoskeletal Disorders
Mindfulness practice has gained in popularity among the general public and rehabilitation professionals (Occupational and Physical Therapists) for self-management of pain, stress, and sleep. Due to the rise in popularity of mindfulness practice there has been an increase in the number of mindfulness practice apps available for users to practice guided meditation at any time. The goal of our multidisciplinary team is to develop mindfulness-practice based intervention protocols for managing persistent pain due to musculoskeletal disorders. However, it has not been clear to our team which mindfulness practice app should be used as part of future studies. The purpose of this study was to compare features and quality of different popular mindfulness-practice apps to inform methodology for future studies. Methods: In this study we selected the two highest rated mindfulness apps (Calm, Headspace), and an app developed by our collaborators at University of Wisconsin-Madison (Healthy Minds Program). We conducted literature reviews on the use of the three apps for managing sleep, pain, and psychological distress. In addition, with utilization of a randomizer tool on google each team member was assigned two apps to review and practice each app 20-50 minutes for 10 days. Each team member used the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) to rate the quality of each app assigned. Results: The total mean score for app quality (engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information) were similar for Calm (3.25), Headspace (3.75), and Healthy Minds Program (3.75). Additionally, across 13 different features evaluated, all the apps had similar features. Conclusion: All three apps are of similar quality and similar in improving sleep, pain, and psychological distress. However, the Healthy Minds Program is the most suitable app to use in future research studies as well as for incorporating it into clinical practice given that it is available to users at no cost. Future studies need to be conducted to compare the influence of Calm, Headspace, and Healthy Minds Program for improving pain, sleep, and psychological distress.
