Exploring the Requirements for an mHealth App to Prevent and Manage Perinatal Anxiety and Depression

Despite the positive impacts of mHealth apps reported for several illnesses, evidence shows that mHealth applications developed for perinatal depression and anxiety are of moderate quality. The needs assessment of stakeholders to extract the requirements is pivotal for developing a successful app. This study aims to determine the requirement of a mHealth app for preventing and managing perinatal depression and anxiety.

This mixed-methods study was conducted based on four stages. Firstly, requirements were identified through a literature review. Secondly, the draft requirements were presented to an expert panel for review and confirmation. Fifteen experts participated in validating the requirements through the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI). Finally, the Delphi technique was performed to determine the final functional requirements.

The literature review retrieved 34 relevant articles and three guidelines. A total of 163 requirements were extracted through a literature search. The expert panel revision resulted in 87 requirements in 13 categories. Seven requirements were removed following CVI and CVR calculation. After the Delphi technique, five requirements were removed. The final list included 75 requirements categorized into 13 groups, including socio-demographic information, pregnancy and delivery, medical history, medication, screening, self-empowerment, warning/reminder, monitoring, consultation, forum, reports, interface/framing, and security and confidentiality.

These requirements have the potential to help app developers design and assess their apps, and for patients to assess the apps targeting the prevention and management of perinatal depression and anxiety. Further research is required to address the generalizability of this requirement set.