ArticleFrontiers in digital health2023
The impact of digital healthcare on vulnerable pregnant women: A review of the use of the MyCare app in the maternity department at a central London tertiary unit.
Article in Frontiers in digital health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Peer Support Through Mobile Health Applications on Breastfeeding Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Digital Inequalities in the Use of eHealth Services in European Public Health Care Systems: Systematic Review of Observational Studies.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Women's experiences of maternity care in high-income countries during the pandemic health system shock: a follow-up systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Understanding care-seeking of pregnant women from underserved groups: a systematic review and meta-ethnography.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Socio-digital stratification and the threshold effects of digital inclusion on maternal health access in Somalia.Global health action · 2026Article
- Patient-centred postpartum care provision: virtual delivery, tiered escalation, and tensions between efficiency, preference, and clinical concern.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Maternal Health Literacy among Migrant Women: A Co-Design Study in Portugal.Portuguese journal of public health · 2026Article
- Digital exclusion in healthcare services: a scoping review.International journal for equity in health · 2026Review
- Online Health Information Seeking for Pregnancy-Related Resources and Maternal eHealth Literacy Among Women in Thailand: A Qualitative Study.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- The effectiveness of an Android-based reminder application in ensuring compliance with iron tablets for pregnant women in Yogyakarta Indonesia.Journal of education and health promotion · 2026Article
- eHealth Literacy and Its Associated Factors in Patients with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study.Patient preference and adherence · 2026Article
- Swedish health professional's perceptions of Interplay, a digital support tool for parents' couple relationship and parenting.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- Adherence to digital pregnancy care - lessons learned from the SMART start feasibility study.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- A scoping review of digital technologies in antenatal care: recent progress and applications of digital technologies.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Experiences of Low-Income Indonesian Pregnant Women Regarding the Challenges of Receiving Health Services: A Qualitative Content Analysis.International journal of community based nursing and midwifery · 2024Article
- Content, Behaviour Change Techniques, and Quality of Postpartum Depression Apps to Be Recommended by Midwives: Systematic Search and Evaluation.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Digitalisation offers innovative solutions within maternity services; however, vulnerable groups risk being overlooked. University College London Hospital's (UCLH) successful implementation of a digital maternity app, MyCare, gives women access to test results, information about appointments, and enables communication with healthcare professionals (HCPs). Yet, little is known about access and engagement among vulnerable pregnant women. Methodology: Research was conducted over a 3-month period (April-June 2022) in the Maternity Department at UCLH, UK. MyCare datasets were analysed, and anonymised surveys completed by vulnerable pregnant women and HCPs. Results: Lower rates of utilisation and engagement with MyCare were seen in vulnerable pregnant women especially among refugee/asylum seekers, those with mental health issues, and those facing domestic violence. Non-users were also more likely to be individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds, with a lower average social-deprivation-index decile, whose first language was not English, and with a significant history of non-attendance to appointments. Patient and HCP surveys highlighted various barriers to MyCare engagement, including a lack of motivation, limited language options, low e-literacy levels, and complex app interfaces. Conclusion: The use of a single digital tool, without a formulated pathway to identify and assist those not accessing or engaging with it, risks unequal care provision which may exacerbate health inequalities. This research advances the idea that digital exclusion is not necessarily a matter of
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