The Role Of Mobile Health (Mhealth) Applications In Improving Emergency Medical Response: A Systematic Review

Nasser Musaed Alghamdi, Mohammed Abdullah Ibrahim Alzahrani, Omaer Aiydh Almagati, Mohammed Abdullah Almatrafi, Khaled Ali Al Malki, Raed Saad AL-Mutairi, Abdulaziz Ali Abdullah Alotaibi, Ahmed mustafa mesawa; Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Hashim Alsharif

doi:10.63278/jicrcr.vi.3214

Authors

Nasser Musaed Alghamdi, Mohammed Abdullah Ibrahim Alzahrani, Omaer Aiydh Almagati, Mohammed Abdullah Almatrafi, Khaled Ali Al Malki, Raed Saad AL-Mutairi, Abdulaziz Ali Abdullah Alotaibi, Ahmed mustafa mesawa
Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Hashim Alsharif

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63278/jicrcr.vi.3214

Abstract

Background:
Timely emergency medical response is essential for improving outcomes in life-threatening conditions such as cardiac arrest, stroke, and severe trauma. Mobile health (mHealth) applications—delivered through smartphones, tablets, and digital platforms—are increasingly used to enhance prehospital decision-making, streamline communication, and optimize EMS–hospital coordination. Despite growing adoption, the evidence regarding their effectiveness remains fragmented.

Methods:
A rapid systematic review was conducted following targeted searches in PubMed/PMC, ClinicalTrials.gov, and leading emergency medicine and neurology journals from 2019 to 2025. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), controlled cohort studies, interrupted time-series analyses, and prospective validations evaluating mHealth interventions in EMS or ED interfaces. Outcomes of interest included process measures (time efficiency, communication quality, triage accuracy) and patient-centered outcomes (survival, morbidity).

Results:
Twelve high-quality studies were synthesized across six domains. Tele-EMS systems demonstrated non-inferiority to on-scene physicians, with improved efficiency and care quality (Kowark et al., 2023; Schröder et al., 2024). Smartphone-dispatched responder apps were associated with higher survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest when alerts were accepted, though acceptance rates remained low (Smith et al., 2022). Stroke applications, such as JOIN, reduced door-to-needle times, while NIHSS-based prehospital scoring modestly prolonged scene times without improving diagnostic accuracy (Martins et al., 2020; Guterud et al., 2023). Communication apps shortened EMS–ED handover calls by 22% without harming outcomes (Fukaguchi et al., 2022). Trauma triage tools achieved AUROC ≈0.80 with under-triage near accepted thresholds (Biesboer et al., 2024). Emerging innovations, such as caller livestreaming, showed feasibility but lack robust outcome evidence (Magnusson et al., 2024).

Conclusion:
mHealth applications meaningfully improve critical process indicators in emergency response—particularly tele-consultation, structured communication, and coordinated stroke workflows. However, evidence linking these tools directly to long-term survival and functional outcomes remains limited. Future research should prioritize multicenter RCTs, cost-effectiveness analyses, and human-factors evaluations to ensure effective integration of mHealth into diverse EMS systems.