Evaluating Mobile Information Apps for Parents of Preterm Infants After Hospital Discharge: Systematic App Review

After hospital discharge, parents of preterm infants need accessible and reliable information to gain confidence and skills in their child-caring abilities and parental autonomy. Parental need for information after hospital discharge includes topics related to prematurity, such as crying, feeding, sleeping, infant care, general health, and neuromotor development. However, parents report difficulty in finding and understanding this information. Mobile apps have the potential to improve information provision.

The aim of this systematic app review was to (1) identify mobile apps for parents of preterm infants targeting the period after hospital discharge and (2) evaluate the content, quality of the app, and understandability and actionability of the information material.

We systematically searched for apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and Google, along with a literature search using PubMed. Multiple keywords were used (eg, "preterm baby," "app," and "home"). Apps were included when they provided information for parents on topics and content related to prematurity after hospital discharge. To examine app content related to the postdischarge period, apps were reviewed, and topics were identified. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) was used to measure the app's quality, and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-AV) was used to measure the understandability and actionability of the information material.

After the initial search, the titles and descriptions of 196 apps were screened for eligibility. Eventually, 9 English apps were included in the review. Information related to the postdischarge period constituted only a small part of the app's content. Most commonly addressed topics related to the period at home were vaccinations, follow-up, feeding, and using home oxygen. Using the MARS, only one of the 9 apps received a good score for overall quality ("MyPreemie app"; Graham's Foundation), and 7 apps received an acceptable score. Only 4 apps scored high on understandability of the PEMAT-AV, and 6 apps scored high on actionability. No Dutch apps were identified.

The current availability of mobile information apps for parents of preterm infants targeting the period after hospital discharge is limited. A total of 9 English apps were identified, which contained a small portion related to the postdischarge period. This content is not comprehensive for the postdischarge period: topics indicated as relevant by parents, such as crying in preterm infants, diaper change in preterm, or parental well-being after preterm birth, are often missing. The overall quality of the apps is only acceptable. Although the reliability of the information was close to good, the understandability of the apps was moderate. Recommendations for future app development include more relevant and understandable information related to the postdischarge period, which meets the demand of parents of preterm infants.