Development and evaluation of an application for syphilis control.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mobile Health (mHealth)
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Syphilis remains a significant public health concern, particularly among pregnant women, necessitating innovative control strategies.
• Effective prenatal care and partner management are crucial for preventing congenital syphilis transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a mobile application designed to enhance syphilis control measures in pregnant women.
• To assess the usability and content validity of the application for healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• Methodological research involving a bibliographic survey (2012-2016) and application development.
• Usability testing with eight users and content evaluation by five doctors and five nurses in prenatal care.

Main Results:

• The application features include educational videos, disease information, a clinic locator map, an agenda function, and anonymous reporting.
• Content Validity Index scores exceeded 0.80 for objective, function, and relevance, indicating adequate content.

Conclusions:

• The developed application effectively supports health services in promoting health, managing syphilis cases, and facilitating treatment for pregnant women and their partners.
• This mHealth tool streamlines routine tasks within prenatal care settings for improved syphilis control.