Feasibility Study of a Mobile App for Preconception Care of Women v 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility Study Of A Smartphone Application (App) for the Preconception Care Of Women With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes: A Mixed Methods Study
IRAS ID
178530
Contact name
Chidiebere Nwolise
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 26 days
Research summary
The purpose of this study is to develop a mobile Application (App) for preconception care and explore its feasibility for women with type 1 and 2 diabetes. Preconception care is the provision of specific care and advice about pregnancy planning to women (before conception) in order to protect the health of women and their newborn. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used to explore patients’ experience of using the App and provide initial outcome measures. This will provide much needed information on women’s preconception care (PCC) knowledge and attitudes.
Data will be collected from 4-6 healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, midwives) and 4-6 patients via group discussions to inform the App content and development. This will be done to ensure that patients and healthcare professionals are involved and that the preconception care mobile App is developed to best meet the needs of women with diabetes.
In order to inform development, 15-20 women will be asked to test the preconception care mobile App (PCC-MA) for 3 months. Participants will be women of childbearing age (18-45 years) with diabetes, recruited by the GP/nurse involved in their care. Patient questionnaires will be collected before and after the App use to measure changes in preconception care knowledge and attitudes. Data on how often patients use the App will also be collected. Interviews with participants will explore their views of the benefits and drawbacks of using the App.
The project will improve knowledge regarding the role and acceptability of mobile Apps for preconception care of women with diabetes, provide insight into their use for promoting preconception care, self-management and attitudinal change. It is anticipated that the preconception care mobile App (PCC-MA) will help to increase the number of women who plan their pregnancies and reduce complications that can arise when pregnancies are unplanned.
REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0358
Date of REC Opinion
26 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion