Patients’ Experiences of Using Smartphone Apps to Manage their Gestational Diabetes Diagnosis: A Systematic Review - protocol (version 1)

Background Gestational diabetes is a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes onset. However, women who make healthy dietary and lifestyle choices can significantly reduce their risk. There is a need to understand the factors facilitating or preventing women from using smartphone apps that may encourage these behaviours. Methods We plan to conduct a systematic review of patient experiences when using mobile health applications to manage gestational diabetes. We will include primary studies of qualitative data around patient experiences of using these applications, as well as the barriers and facilitators to using technologies. We will search the following electronic databases: Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Global Health, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), AMED and CINAHL and manually search the reference lists of included studies. We will include primary studies involving direct user interviews and where the results have been analysed using qualitative methods. To assess the quality of included studies, we will use the CASP qualitative research checklist. Expected results We intend to use summary tables to report the characteristics of the study population, the overarching themes that emerged, and recommendations for research and practice.