O uso de aplicativos de tecnologia em saúde voltados para a amamentação no processo de amamentar: revisão de escopo

Abstract

Given the importance of breastfeeding and the easy access to health information due to the wide use and access to social media, especially mobile applications, it is pertinent to identify factors that may imply this process. The present study consists of a scoping review with the general objective of identifying the health technology applications used by parents in the breastfeeding process. The search was carried out in the following databases: Virtual Health Library (VHL), CINAHL, MEDLINE/PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE and Web of Science, in December 2021. The following eligibility criteria were used: population, concept and context (PCC), where P, the applications used by parents; C, the breastfeeding process and, C, studies that address the use of breastfeeding apps, somehow implying the breastfeeding process. The study followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. 16 primary studies were included. The predominance of studies carried out in the United States of America (USA) and published in the year 2021 was evidenced. It was found that health applications focused on the theme are powerful tools for adherence and maintenance of breastfeeding; demonstrated to offer their users emotional support, greater confidence and maternal self-efficacy, encouraging the support network for breastfeeding women and proved to be an important tool to assist in daily planning, offering health information in accessible and reliable language, based on scientific evidence, enhancing exclusive breastfeeding. Some limitations identified need to be overcome for its use to have a substantial impact on breastfeeding, such as some problems in layout and functionality that sometimes contained superficial or generalized information, demonstrating to have unsustainable long-term effects. Thus, the need for more studies aimed at analyzing the usability of health applications that address breastfeeding was identified. Finally, considering the increasing use of health technologies, the importance of using apps as a tool to maintain the practice of exclusive and on-demand breastfeeding is emphasized, culminating in benefits for both the nursing mother and the infant, family and society.