Aplicativos móveis para as sociedades menos favorecidas

Abstract

Abstract Objective To describe the impacts of mobile applications directly in favor of the health of disadvantaged communities living in low-income or developing countries and, indirectly, through healthcare professionals providing assistance in these areas. Methods This is an integrative literature review in the PubMed, SciELO and LILACS databases of original evidence-based research, published between 2010 and 2019, available in full and in Brazilian Portuguese and English, through the guiding question: “What is the impact of mobile applications on direct and indirect health care in low-income and developing populations?”. The following descriptors were used: biomedical technology, health information and mobile applications, the latter being present in all intersections. The strategy of search, selection and categorization of studies was performed by the reading of a researcher. Results The applications demonstrated benefits regarding the diagnosis of diseases, users’ treatment adherence, patient follow-up by health professionals and self-care, constituting an important tool for monitoring and managing diseases. Conclusion Mobile technology has the potential to improve primary care services through qualification of health care promoted by professionals and direct access of users, especially in low-income countries, whose health indicators are worrisome.