Mobile apps for psychotic disorders: a systematic review protocol
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Meinert, Edward
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Early intervention for psychotic spectrum disorders can improve long-term outcomes, but service availability and quality can vary globally. Mobile apps have the potential to provide personalised and accessible support for people with psychotic disorders via features such as symptom monitoring, medication reminders, and self-management interventions. Existing reviews have provided an overview of such apps and their feasibility but lack a synthesis of their efficacy, safety, and acceptability. Addressing this gap would guide future app designs and facilitate their implementation by informing clinical and policy decisions. The purpose of this systematic review will be to synthesise the evidence about existing mobile apps for psychotic disorders, including their types and features, feasibility of implementation, usability, clinical impact, and safety.
Methods
This protocol has been structured using the PRISMA-P checklist, and the PICOS framework will guide the search strategy. Six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo) will be searched. Evaluations of mobile apps for psychotic disorders published in English will be included. Reviews will be excluded but their bibliographies will be searched for relevant articles. Two independent reviewers will conduct the title and abstract screening, full-text review, data extraction into a predetermined form, and risk of bias analysis; with any disagreements discussed until consensus at each stage. The risk of bias analysis will be conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Meta-analyses will summarise data on feasibility, impact, and safety (where applicable), and app characteristics and user experience will be descriptively analysed.
Discussion
While current reviews synthesise information about apps for psychotic disorders, most of them have a narrow focus on specific app types (e.g., monitoring), outcomes (e.g., engagement), or study types. This systematic review will update previous reviews and add a comprehensive synthesis of app features, their safety, and their overall impact. This review will inform future app development and evaluations and facilitate their implementation in clinical services. It will also address the potential negative impacts associated with these apps and propose ways to mitigate them.
Systematic review registration
PROSPERO CRD42024615781.
Early intervention for psychotic spectrum disorders can improve long-term outcomes, but service availability and quality can vary globally. Mobile apps have the potential to provide personalised and accessible support for people with psychotic disorders via features such as symptom monitoring, medication reminders, and self-management interventions. Existing reviews have provided an overview of such apps and their feasibility but lack a synthesis of their efficacy, safety, and acceptability. Addressing this gap would guide future app designs and facilitate their implementation by informing clinical and policy decisions. The purpose of this systematic review will be to synthesise the evidence about existing mobile apps for psychotic disorders, including their types and features, feasibility of implementation, usability, clinical impact, and safety.
Methods
This protocol has been structured using the PRISMA-P checklist, and the PICOS framework will guide the search strategy. Six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo) will be searched. Evaluations of mobile apps for psychotic disorders published in English will be included. Reviews will be excluded but their bibliographies will be searched for relevant articles. Two independent reviewers will conduct the title and abstract screening, full-text review, data extraction into a predetermined form, and risk of bias analysis; with any disagreements discussed until consensus at each stage. The risk of bias analysis will be conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Meta-analyses will summarise data on feasibility, impact, and safety (where applicable), and app characteristics and user experience will be descriptively analysed.
Discussion
While current reviews synthesise information about apps for psychotic disorders, most of them have a narrow focus on specific app types (e.g., monitoring), outcomes (e.g., engagement), or study types. This systematic review will update previous reviews and add a comprehensive synthesis of app features, their safety, and their overall impact. This review will inform future app development and evaluations and facilitate their implementation in clinical services. It will also address the potential negative impacts associated with these apps and propose ways to mitigate them.
Systematic review registration
PROSPERO CRD42024615781.
Date Issued
2026-02-06
Date Acceptance
2025-08-28
Citation
Systematic Reviews, 2026, 15
ISSN
2046-4053
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
Systematic Reviews
Volume
15
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
46