Gravitim APP and the Contribution of Digital Media in the Process of Pregnancy

Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate the importance that digital media can have in the support to the process of pregnancy, namely in the contribution for a more informed relationship between the pregnant woman and the healthcare professional. This research consists of the development of a mobile application of pre-natal care with the support of the Health Local Unit of Alto Minho (ULSAM), where the app is being studied in a joint work with doctors and patients. With the development of our mobile application the aim is to create a more effective and secure pre-natal care that contributes to an improvement of the levels of transparency and effectiveness in health care services. In recent years, there are several computer systems that have been developed and implemented in the health area in Portugal. Portugal is first in the digital ranking of Health, having been distinguished by the European Observatory of Health Systems as an example of good practices. The development of digital platforms is a strong investment of the National Health System (NHS) for the improvement of the quality of its services (Ministério da Saúde (SNS) in Retrato da Saúde, Portugal, Lisboa, 2018). This paper begins with a contextualization of this problem; a presentation of a critical analysis about the main digital platforms existent in the market; and the proposal of the application under development.