Acceptability and further potential of an app for maternal notes, the eMutterPass: A patient-centered online survey at the University Hospital Zurich

Abstract

ObjectivesWe wanted to characterize the acceptability of and women’s satisfaction with the eMutterPass application. Particular attention was placed on concerns about data confidentiality and on willingness to use the app in an interactive way to share information about medication consumption. Study designThe present analysis is based on self-reported data from obstetric patients participating in an anonymous online survey between April 6th 2021 and April 20th 2021. ResultsDuring the 2-week timeframe, 1123 questionnaires were completed. The eMutterPass application was widely appreciated by our survey population and almost all participants would recommend the application to other pregnant women. A subpopulation analysis indicates that concerns about data confidentiality were higher among younger, multigravid and non-German-speaking pregnant women. The majority of women would be willing to report their medication use by taking pictures, filling in medication dosages or submitting assessments of perceived drug effectiveness. ConclusionThe development of our eMutterPass application meets the spirit of the times and gives pregnant women uncomplicated access to their own data. Concerns about data confidentiality can be adequately countered with additional information about the system structure. The largely positive adherence to the idea of reporting medication use on the app lays the groundwork for potential use of the eMutterPass for documentation of non-prescribed drugs.