Content analysis of human anatomy mobile apps for undergraduate student learning using MARuL

Introduction: Mobile applications (apps) for anatomy education are increasingly used in health education, offering personalized and interactive platforms enhancing learning experience for students and educators. Despite their wide availability, there is a paucity of studies evaluating the quality of these apps in anatomy education. This study aims to systematically search and evaluate the quality of human anatomy apps for student learning using the Mobile Application Rubric for Learning (MARuL). Methods: The iOS App Store was searched using keywords “human anatomy”. Inclusion criteria were English language, non-game format, star rating ≥4.0, and free access. MARuL evaluates four sections: Teaching and Learning (36), User-centered (28), Professionalism (12), and Usability (28), with a total score of 104 marks. Two trained reviewers independently rated the apps, with any disagreements resolved through discussion. Interrater calculation in the overall MARuL score showed good reliability with ICC = 0.821 (95% CI: 0.602-0.925). The total average apps MARul scores from both raters were analyzed using Jamovi 2.3.28, and Microsoft Excel (version 16). Results: 20 relevant apps were selected. Three apps with the highest MARuL score were BioDigital Human 3D Anatomy (71.5/104), TeachMe Anatomy (71.5/104), and Anatomyka Atlas (71.5/104). Among the four sections in MARuL, Usability emerged as the highest-rated area, as most apps prioritized aesthetics, functionality, ease of use, and technical specifications. Conclusion: The top three apps showed high quality and were classified as ‘probably valuable’ by the MARuL scale. Further studies should assess their effectiveness in undergraduate anatomy education.