Pregnant Users’ Perceptions of the Birth Plan Interface in the “My Prenatal Care” App: Observational Validation Study (Preprint)

Abstract

Background: The Birth Plan (BP) is supposed to be a declaration of expectations and preferences of the pregnant woman regarding childbirth. Although several mobile applications (apps) have been developed to offer support during pregnancy, only a few offer the BP. An academic team developed an app named My-PrenatalCare, to provide scientific information directly to women about healthy habits and practices during pregnancy, delivery, and puerperium. More recently, a questionnaire was introduced to facilitate the development of a BP as a strategy for childbirth, and to provide a new channel of communication between her and the maternity team. Objective: To validate a template for BP preparation mediated by a mobile app, based on perceptions of pregnant users. Methods: This was an observational, exploratory, and descriptive study. The methodology of the evaluation was user-centered, and both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed. Participation in the study was voluntary, and data were collected in a Brazilian public and university health unit for prenatal care. Eleven pregnant women evaluated their experience of using the BP prototype interface. Eight tasks were proposed to measure the users' efficiency and the effectiveness of the interface. Tests of communicability intended to identify communication problems. The evaluation took place in a controlled environment, with authorized video recording. Data collected from a survey with structured and free questions, in addition to free expression of participants' perceptions and