Translation and Validation of the User Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS) into the Polish Language

Background: Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) are groundbreaking for diagnosing, preventing, and treating various health concerns. This study aimed to translate the user version of the Mobile Applications Rating Scale (uMARS) into Polish and subsequently validate, culturally adapt, and test the credibility and accuracy of this version. Method: The Polish version of the uMARS was adapted, translated, and validated based on the “STOP COVID - ProteGO Safe App.” The app was chosen due to its timeliness and critical relevance during the study, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also cost-free, practical, and available on Android and iOS platforms. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and intra-class correlation coefficient were calculated. Results: The conceptual equivalence between all items and subscales in the original uMARS and its Polish version was considered. The translated uMARS scale demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's Alpha 0.95The reliability of the perceived retest and the total impact score were considered acceptable, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of 0.59 (0.29-0.53) and 0.65, respectively. No factors were found to affect the reliability of the tool negatively. Conclusions: This study presents the translation and cross-cultural validation of the Polish version of uMARS. It indicates that the translated scale corresponds to the reliability of the original. It can aid users in choosing the best mHealth apps available in Poland and reporting on their quality. mHealth apps can be objectively assessed from diverse user perspectives based on empirical evaluation using the Polish version of uMARS. Researchers can use the translated and validated uMARS tool to evaluate mHealth apps on a range of established criteria. App developers can obtain reliable assessments of application components and identify areas requiring further improvement and development to consistently deliver higher-quality products, increasing the positive impact of mHealth technologies. The Polish version of the uMARS possesses all the prerequisites to become a standard tool for evaluating the quality of the mHealth apps in Poland.Funding: No funding was received for this research.Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.Ethical Approval: All participants provided written informed consent. The study was approved by the Bioethical Commission (no. AKBE/60/2022).