Midwives' views towards women's use of mHealth and eHealth to self-monitor their pregnancy: A systematic review of the literature.

Abstract

Introduction There are many mobile telephone apps to help women self-monitor aspects of pregnancy and maternal health. This literature review aims to: 1) understand midwives’ perspectives on women self-monitoring their pregnancy using eHealth and mHealth, and 2) establish gaps in research. Methods MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and PsycINFO were systematically searched on midwifery, eHealth/mHealth and perspectives. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies published in English were considered for inclusion in the review, without geographical limitations. Relevant articles were critically appraised and narrative synthesis was conducted. Results Twelve relevant papers covering midwives’ perspectives of the use of eHealth and mHealth by pregnant women were obtained for inclusion in this review. Seven of these publications focused on midwives' views of eHealth, and five on their perspectives of mHealth interventions. The studies included demonstrate that midwives generally hold ambivalent views towards the use of eHealth and mHealth technologies in antenatal care. Often, midwives acknowledged the potential benefits of such technologies, such as their ability to modernise antenatal care and to help women make more informed decisions about their pregnancy. However, midwives were quick to point out the risks and limitations of these, such as the accuracy of conveyed information, and negative impacts on the patient-professional relationship. Conclusions Post-COVID-19 where technology is continuously developing, there is a compelling need for studies that investigate the role of eHealth and mHealth in self-monitoring pregnancy, and the consequences this has for pregnant women, health professionals and organisations as well as midwifery curricula.