Digital support for expecting parents: Ensuring quality content for pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and delivery stages

Abstract

In today’s scenario, use of mobile phones is on rise. Pregnant women find it is very easy to get help from digital source for information like mobile applications. Pregnancy is the most crucial time period when expectant mothers need their family around them for guidance and support. But due to changing family patterns now-a-days, sometimes pregnant women have to stay alone during their pregnancy period. So, women generally go for digital guidance in these situations such as pregnancy apps. This study is to analyze the pregnancy apps regarding availability and credibility of information related to pregnancy care. To carry out this study, 40 pregnancy apps were downloaded and installed from Google Play Store in an Android phone which were free to use. All the apps were critically assessed for their quality content using self-structured schedule. Majority of the apps did not provide detailed information for all aspects of pregnancy such as care during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and at the time of delivery. These apps do not provide source of information due to which users often put them in questionable category for their credibility. On the other hand, if they provided content on any aspect then that was found insufficient according to needs of women. Information available in these apps was available in English language only not in regional languages and lacks credibility also.