SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology

cross-sectional·pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, public health, family medicine, research methods·PMC10121055

What do hospital-based health professionals need and expect from an mHealth app to support the first 1000 days of life? Results from a cross sectional study

PLOS ONE · 15 authors, 7 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

A cross-sectional survey of 145 hospital-based health professionals found strong agreement on the value of a proposed mHealth app for the first 1000 days of life, with highest-rated content being general pregnancy health information (92%) and information about infections during pregnancy (91%). Three clusters of respondents emerged: high, medium, and low demanding, with the low-demanding cluster expressing skepticism about some app functionalities.

Full summary

873 CHARS

This cross-sectional survey assessed the needs and expectations of 145 hospital-based health professionals (physicians, medical residents, midwives, nurses, and support staff) from obstetrics/gynecology, nursery/neonatology, and pediatrics departments regarding a hypothetical mHealth app supporting the first 1000 days of life. Data were collected from November 2021 to March 2022 via a structured questionnaire exploring content importance, functionalities, and technical features. Ward hierarchical clustering identified three clusters of respondents with varying levels of demand. Health professionals most valued general pregnancy health information (92% rating absolutely essential or very important) and infection-related content (91%). The primary expected improvement was enhanced patient-provider communication (69%), followed by better patient preparation (61%).

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

pediatrics

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10121055

What do hospital-based health professionals need and expect from an mHealth app to support the first 1000 days of life? Results from a cross sectional study

PLOS ONE

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Background Several attempts have been made to introduce mHealth solutions to support maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH). However, most of the available apps do not meet the needs of end-users, underscoring the urgency of involving them in the co-design of telehealth interventions. Objective With this in mind, we investigated the needs and expectations of hospital-based health professionals (i.e., secondary users) providing care to pregnant women and new mothers with their babies for a hypothetical mHealth app to support the first 1000 days of life. Methods From November 2021 to March 2022, we surveyed health professionals using a questionnaire that explored the perceived importance of specific content, functionalities, and technical features of the proposed app. We also collected sociodemographic information from secondary users. We performed descriptive analysis and then used Ward hierarchical clustering method to classify respondents according to their response patterns. Results We recorded the needs and expectations of 145 hospital-based health professionals from obstetrics/gynecology, nursery/neonatology, and pediatrics. We found general agreement with the proposed content of the app, particularly general information about health during pregnancy (92%) and potential risky infections during pregnancy (91%). Three clusters emerged from the analysis, with the high and medium demanding clusters rating the importance of app content and technical features as very high and high, respectively, while low demanding cluster expressing more skepticism, especially about some of the proposed functionalities of the app. Conclusions Assessing the needs and expectations of end-users is an essential process for developing tailored and effective mHealth solutions. This study has shown that hospital-based health professionals generally recognize the value of the proposed app, suggesting their propensity to integrate such a telehealth solution into mainstream clinical practice.

CITATION EXPORT

Laura Brunelli, Raffaella Dobrina, Chiara De Vita et al.. What do hospital-based health professionals need and expect from an mHealth app to support the first 1000 days of life? Results from a cross sectional study. PLOS ONE. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284448

AUTHORS

15 · 7 CENTRES

Laura Brunelli, Raffaella Dobrina, Chiara De Vita, Elena Mazzolini, Giuseppa Verardi, Sofia Bussolaro, Maura Degrassi, Giulia Hervatich, Maria Piazza, Tamara Strajn, Andrea Cassone, Anja Starec, Giuseppe Ricci, Sara Zanchiello, Tamara Stampalija

1 Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
2 Healthcare Professions Department, Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
3 Area Science Park, Trieste, Italy
4 Department of Epidemiology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Udine e Legnaro, Italy
5 Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Institute for Maternal and Child Health – IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, Trieste, Italy
6 Unit of Fetal Medicine and Prenatal Diagnosis, Institute for Maternal and Child Health - IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Trieste, Italy
Duervation, AUSTRIA

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Mona Dür