In Search of Mobile Health Apps Available for Pregnant Women: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Many pregnant women use the internet to obtain information about pregnancy and childbirth. Over 50% of pregnant women use pregnancy applications (apps) and must search through thousands of pregnancy or women’s health-related apps available on app stores. COVID-19 is changing how women receive prenatal care and their satisfaction with it, leading them to rely more on other sources of information. OBJECTIVE Our objective is to identify mobile apps recommended when a Google search is performed and to evaluate the apps’ features using a modified APPLICATIONS scoring system.  METHODS A list of pregnancy apps was identified in the first 20 Google search results using the search term “pregnancy app” and “pregnancy apps.” After excluding apps irrelevant to the study, all unique apps were downloaded and evaluated with the modified APPLICATION scoring system, which includes both objective and subjective criteria and evaluation of special features.  RESULTS A total of 57 unique pregnancy apps were generated. 28 apps were excluded for irrelevance, inaccuracy, malfunctioning, or no longer available. 29 apps were evaluated, with a mean score of 9.4 points out of a maximum of 16. The highest scoring app scored 15 points. The top five highest scoring apps were all included in the first article in a Google search result and four of them were also the highest mentioned among all articles. CONCLUSIONS Identification of pregnancy apps through a Google search yielded high-scoring apps that were mentioned in multiple articles, yet few contain all the desired qualities. While healthcare providers should continue to vet apps before recommending them to patients, these findings highlight that a Google search is a successful way for patients and providers to find useful and comprehensive pregnancy applications.