MyContraception: An Evidence-Based Contraception mPHR for Better Contraceptive Fit

Abstract

The fulfillment of unmet needs for contraception can help women reach their reproductive goals. It was proven to have a significant impact on reducing the rates of unintended pregnancies, and thereby cut the number of morbidity and mortality resulting from these pregnancies, and improving the lives of women and children in general. Therefore, there is a growing concern worldwide about contraception and women’s knowledge of making an advised-choice about it. In this aspect, an outgrown number of apps are now available providing clinical resources, digital guides, or educational information concerning contraception whether it concerns natural contraception or modern contraception. However, vast amounts of these apps contain inaccurate sexual health facts and non-evidence based information concerning contraception. On these bases, and in respect to the needs of women to effectively prevent unintended pregnancies while conducting a stress-free healthy lifestyle, the World Health Organization (WHO) Medical Eligibility Criteria (MEC) for contraception’s recommendations, and the results and recommendations of a field study conducted in the reproductive health center Les Oranges in Rabat to collect the app’s requirements, we developed an Android app named ‘MyContraception’. Our solution is an evidence-based patient-centered contraceptive app that has been developed in an attempt to facilitate: (1) Seeking evidence-based information along with recommendations concerning the best contraceptive fit (according to one’s medical characteristics, preferences and priorities) helping users make informed decisions about their contraceptive choices. (2) Monitoring one’s own menstrual cycle, fertility window, contraceptive methods usage, and the correlation between these different elements and everyday symptoms in one app. (3) Keeping record of one’s family medical history, medical appointments, analyses, diagnoses, procedures and notes within the same app. In future work, conducting an empirical evaluation of MyContraception solution is intended, to exhaustively examine the effects of this solution in improving the quality of patient-centered contraception care.