Motivating and inhibiting factors influencing the application of mhealth technology in post-abortion care: a review study

Abstract

Background: Abortion and its complications are challenges that endanger women's health, especially in developing countries. It seems that the application of mhealth technology can be useful as a safe and affordable strategy in post-abortion care. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing the use of mhealth technology in post-abortion care. Methods: This was a review study conducted in 2023 and articles published in English between 2010 and 1st November 2023 were searched in PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Embase databases as well as Google Scholar. Data were collected using a data extraction form and were analyzed narratively. Results: The influencing factors could be divided into the motivating and inhibiting factors. The motivating factors included the subgroups of the individual factors (e.g., saving time), technical factors (e.g., usability), economic factors (e.g., saving costs), and ethico-legal factors (e.g., improving security and confidentiality of the information). Similarly, the inhibiting factors consisted of individual factors (e.g., fear of expressing abortion), technical factors (e.g., a lack of access to the network and the Internet), economic factors (e.g., inappropriate patient financial status), and ethico-legal (e.g., concerns over the security and confidentiality of information). Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of considering various technical and non-technical factors influencing the design and implementation of mHealth technology in post-abortion care. Developers need to address these factors to ensure successful technology adoption and mitigate risks. The findings contribute to the enhancement of women's health and offer insights for future technology acceptance models in the mHealth field.