Mobile Smartphone Applications for Healthcare Practitioners

Mobile Smartphone Applications (apps) have emerged in the last decade as a potentially beneficial tool for doctors. This thesis employs a novel investigative approach based on Realist Evaluation to investigate their prevalence, the outcomes of their use, and uncovers the key causal mechanisms and contexts that influence their use.
The first part of the thesis sets the scene for the investigation by explaining the need for this research in an environment where much has been claimed for and against app use, but with a limited evidence base on which to base such claims. A scoping study is used to assess the nature of the extant literature and identify key questions that need to be addressed about app use.
The next stage sets the scene for the realist empirical portion of the thesis, by explaining the need to take a theory-based perspective of the issues. The rationale for employing a realist methodology is described in terms of the need to examine causal explanations and contextual elements, with reference to the methodological implications for the rest of the enquiry. The elicitation of initial programme theory is then undertaken to provide a theoretical starting point for the thesis.
The final part of the thesis describes an interview study and a mixed-methods study, which in turn develop and then test theories relating to the decision to use an app. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the key findings, presenting an outline theoretical model as well as recommendations designed to enhance the development, implementation and safe use of apps.