Emanuela Gomes Falcão1 
, Antônio Alves de Sousa Filho2 , Edina Maria Araújo3 , Saiwori De Jesus Silva Bezerra dos Anjos2
, Antônio Alves de Sousa Filho2 , Edina Maria Araújo3 , Saiwori De Jesus Silva Bezerra dos Anjos2
1- Programa de Pós-graduação em Cuidados Clínicos em Enfermagem e Saúde (PPCCLIS), Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE), Fortaleza, CE, Brazil , emanuela.falcao@aluno.uece.br
2- Programa de Pós-graduação em Cuidados Clínicos em Enfermagem e Saúde (PPCCLIS), Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE), Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
3- Programa de Pós-graduação da Universidade Aberta do Brasil, Universidade Estadual de Roraima (UERR), Roraima, RO, Brazil
2- Programa de Pós-graduação em Cuidados Clínicos em Enfermagem e Saúde (PPCCLIS), Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE), Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
3- Programa de Pós-graduação da Universidade Aberta do Brasil, Universidade Estadual de Roraima (UERR), Roraima, RO, Brazil
Abstract: (769 Views)
Background: Health literacy is a key component of informed decision-making during pregnancy and is influenced by access to and interpretation of health information. This study aimed to map and analyze the available evidence on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) during pregnancy and their implications for obstetric nursing.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted according to JBI guidance and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. The initial searches were conducted in December 2023 and updated in May 2026, covering records indexed from database inception through May 2026 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Controlled and uncontrolled terms based on MeSH, DeCS, and Emtree were used. Primary and secondary studies employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches were eligible, with no restrictions on language or publication period. The findings were synthesized descriptively and thematically.
Results: Twenty-five studies were included. The evidence indicates that ICTs, including mobile applications, websites, and digital platforms, facilitate access to health information, promote self-care, and improve adherence to prenatal care. However, their effectiveness depends on three factors: digital literacy, information reliability, and integration into professional care. Barriers include digital inequality, low health literacy, information overload, cultural and linguistic limitations, and a lack of content regulation. Despite these challenges, benefits such as increased knowledge of warning signs, greater self-efficacy, and support for decision-making were observed.
Conclusion: ICTs play an important role in supporting maternal care and strengthening health literacy during pregnancy. Their effective use depends on the interaction among digital literacy, information reliability, and professional mediation.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted according to JBI guidance and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. The initial searches were conducted in December 2023 and updated in May 2026, covering records indexed from database inception through May 2026 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Controlled and uncontrolled terms based on MeSH, DeCS, and Emtree were used. Primary and secondary studies employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches were eligible, with no restrictions on language or publication period. The findings were synthesized descriptively and thematically.
Results: Twenty-five studies were included. The evidence indicates that ICTs, including mobile applications, websites, and digital platforms, facilitate access to health information, promote self-care, and improve adherence to prenatal care. However, their effectiveness depends on three factors: digital literacy, information reliability, and integration into professional care. Barriers include digital inequality, low health literacy, information overload, cultural and linguistic limitations, and a lack of content regulation. Despite these challenges, benefits such as increased knowledge of warning signs, greater self-efficacy, and support for decision-making were observed.
Conclusion: ICTs play an important role in supporting maternal care and strengthening health literacy during pregnancy. Their effective use depends on the interaction among digital literacy, information reliability, and professional mediation.
Keywords: Pregnant Women (Pregnant People), Pregnancy, Prenatal Care, Antenatal Care (Prenatal Care), Health Literacy, EHealth (Telemedicine) Literacy, Digital Health Literacy, Information Technology
Type of study: Review Article |
Subject:
Midwifery
References
1. Bar A, Moran R, Mendelsohn-Cohen N, Kohanim YK, Mayo A, Toledano Y, et al. Pregnancy and postpartum dynamics revealed by millions of lab tests. Sci Adv. 2025;11(13):eadr7922. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
2. Sørensen K, Van Den Broucke S, Fullam J, Doyle G, Pelikan J, Słońska Z, et al. Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:80. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
3. Liu C, Wang D, Liu C, Jiang J, Wang X, Chen H, et al. What is the meaning of health literacy? A systematic review and qualitative synthesis. Fam Med Community Health. 2020;8(2):e000351. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
4. Putri AP, Irawan A, Lu YY. Development of Maternal Health Literacy Measurements: A Scoping Review. Int J Nurs Health Serv. 2023;6(2). [View at Publisher] [DOI] [Google Scholar]
5. World Health Organization. WHO guideline: Recommendations on digital interventions for health system strengthening. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019. [View at Publisher]
6. World Health Organization. Telemedicine: opportunities and developments in Member States: report on the second global survey on eHealth 2009. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010. 93 p. [View at Publisher]
7. Choudhury A, Choudhury M. Mobile for Mothers mHealth intervention to augment maternal health awareness and behavior of pregnant women in tribal societies: randomized quasi-controlled study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2022;10(9):e38368. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
8. Hsieh M-F, Slavin V, Huang M-Z, Wang H-H, Hsieh H-F. mHealth use during pregnancy: a systematic review. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2025;171(1):124-30. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
9. Hung P, Granger M, Boghossian N, Yu J, Harrison S, Liu J, et al. Dual barriers: examining digital access and travel burdens to hospital maternity care access in the United States, 2020. Milbank Q. 2023;101(4):1327-47. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
10. Asadollahi F, Zagami SE, Eslami S, Roudsari RL. Barriers and facilitators for mHealth utilization in pregnancy care: a qualitative analysis of pregnant women and stakeholder's perspectives. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2025;25(1):144. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
11. Pollock D, Davies E, Peters MDJ, Tricco AC, Alexander L, McInerney P, et al. Undertaking a scoping review: a practical guide for nursing and midwifery students, clinicians, researchers, and academics. J Adv Nurs. 2021;77(4):2102-13. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
12. Aromataris E, Lockwood C, Porritt K, Pilla B, Jordan Z, editors. JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. JBI; 2024. Available from: https://synthesismanual.jbi.global [View at Publisher] [DOI]
13. Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, O'Brien KK, Colquhoun H, Levac D, et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(7):467-73. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
14. Carolan M. Health literacy and the information needs and dilemmas of first-time mothers over 35 years. J Clin Nurs. 2007;16(6):1162-72. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
15. Gourounti K, Sarantaki A, Dafnou M-E, Hadjigeorgiou E, Lykeridou A, Middleton N. A qualitative study of assessing learning needs and digital health literacy in pregnancy: Baby Buddy Forward Greek findings. Eur J Midwifery. 2022;6:55. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
16. Nabovati E, Farzandipour M, Vahedpoor Z, Akbari H, Anvari S, Sharif R, et al. Pregnant women's use and attitude toward mobile phone features for self-management. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2023;23(1):77. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
17. Dorst MT, Anders SH, Chennupati S, Chen Q, Purcell Jackson G. Health information technologies in the support systems of pregnant women and their caregivers: mixed-methods study. J Med Internet Res. 2019;21(5):e10865. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
18. Hughson JP, Daly JO, Woodward-Kron R, Hajek J, Story D. The rise of pregnancy apps and the implications for culturally and linguistically diverse women: narrative review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018;6(11):e189. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
19. Sousa MGP. Desenvolvimento e validação de um protótipo de aplicativo para plataforma móvel para promoção da saúde de gestantes [dissertação]. Fortaleza: Universidade Federal do Ceará; 2019. 112 f. Disponível em: https://bdtd.ibict.br/vufind/Record/UFC 7_6e825d314ec364f7f0389f349dfe821d. [View at Publisher]
20. Overdijkink SB, Velu AV, Rosman AN, Van Beukering MD, Kok M, Steegers-Theunissen RP. The usability and effectiveness of mobile health technology-based lifestyle and medical intervention apps supporting health care during pregnancy: a systematic review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018;6(4):e109. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
21. Rahdar S, Montazeri M, Mirzaee M, Ahmadian L. The relationship between e-health literacy and information technology acceptance, and the willingness to share personal and health information among pregnant women. Int J Med Inform. 2023;178:105203. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
22. Foster J, Miller L, Isbell S, Shields T, Worthy N, Dunlop AL. mHealth to promote pregnancy and interconception health among African-American women at risk for adverse birth outcomes: a pilot study. Mhealth. 2015;1:20. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
23. Pierce P, Whitten M, Hillman S. The impact of digital healthcare on vulnerable pregnant women: a review of the use of the MyCare app in the maternity department at a central London tertiary unit. Front Digit Health. 2023;5:1155708. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
24. Levey EJ, Onyeaka H, Bartles SM, Sanchez Calderon E, Sanchez SE, Prom MC, et al. Mobile technology access and use among adolescent mothers in Lima, Peru: mixed methods study. JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2021;4(3):e30240. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
25. Choudhury A, Asan O, Choudhury MM. Mobile health technology to improve maternal health awareness in tribal populations: Mobile for Mothers. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2021;28(11):2467-74. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
26. Wieland D, Gibeau A, Dewey C, Roshto M, Frankel H. Patient portal readiness among postpartum patients in a safety net setting. Appl Clin Inform. 2017;8(3):698-709. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
27. Mulyani EY, Rakhmawati T, Damayanti S, Sumaedi S. Digital communication media and maternal health education: integration of bibliometric analysis, methodological analysis, and meta-synthesis. Digit Health. 2024;10:20552076241304819. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [Google Scholar]
28. Chung K, Cho HY, Kim YR, Jhung K, Koo HS, Park JY. Medical help-seeking strategies for perinatal women with obstetric and mental health problems and changes in medical decision making based on online health information: path analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(3):e14095. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
29. Karamolahi PF, Bostani Khalesi Z, Niknami M. Efficacy of mobile app-based training on health literacy among pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial study. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol X. 2021;12:100133. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
30. Naderi M, Alipour Z, Khalajinia Z, Momenimovahed Z. The impact of a digital self-care intervention based on mHealth on reducing sleep disorders during pregnancy: a quasi-experimental controlled study. Reprod Health. 2025;23(1):18. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
31. Zhou N, Wu D, Liu M, Hu S, Zhang F, Zan Y, et al. The mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between eHealth literacy and childbirth readiness among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1561855. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
32. Korkmaz Aslan G, Kılınç İşleyen E, Kartal A, Koştu N. The relation between eHealth literacy and healthy lifestyle behaviours in pregnant women. Health Promot Int. 2024;39(2):daae022. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
33. Xu J, Chen Y, Zhao J, Wang J, Chen J, Pan X, et al. Current status of electronic health literacy among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their perceptions of online health information: a mixed-methods study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024;24(1):392. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
34. Asadollahi F, Zagami SE, Roudsari RL. The impact of mHealth interventions on health-promoting behaviors in pregnant women: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Public Health. 2026. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
35. Zhao Y, Gu R, Pan Y, Wang J, Li Q, Tang Y, et al. Development and validation of an e-health literacy scale for pregnant women. Mhealth. 2026:12:16. [View at Publisher] [DOI] [PMID] [Google Scholar]
36. Moreira ÉTR. Letramento em saúde bucal de gestantes e fatores associados [dissertação]. Curitiba: Universidade Federal do Paraná; 2025. 1 recurso online. Disponível em: https://hdl.handle.net/1884/98054. [View at Publisher]
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
