Perinatal Women's Perception of Maternal Health Information Quality on Digital Media: Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: Perinatal women are increasingly turning to digital media for maternal health information; however, concerns regarding the quality of this information persist. Understanding perinatal women's perceptions of information quality is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of information services.

Objective: This review aims to (1) identify the key features that perinatal women focus on when perceiving the quality of maternal health information on digital media and (2) summarize the quality issues with maternal health information on digital media that perinatal women have reported.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases (2000-2024). The search strategy combined the following four conceptual clusters using Boolean operators: (1) perinatal population terms ("pregnant women," "expectant mothers," and "perinatal"), (2) information-related terms ("information," "education," and "resource"), (3) perception-related terms ("perception," "experience," and "expectation"), and (4) digital media terms ("online," "social media," and "app"). Thematic analysis was used for data synthesis.

Results: From 5290 records identified, 30 (0.57%) articles were selected for inclusion in this review. The perceived quality features of information can be categorized into four distinct aspects: (1) information providers, which encompasses 2 features, transparency and authority; (2) information content, consisting of 9 features, trustworthiness, evidence based, timeliness, comprehensiveness, need-based relevance, practicality, motivational simulation, emotional supportiveness, and cultural sensitivity; (3) information presentation, which includes 3 features, understandability, attractiveness, and conciseness; and (4) information platforms, comprising 3 features, user-friendly navigation, proactive delivery, and interactivity. Furthermore, several perceived quality issues associated with these aspects were noteworthy. Specifically, (1) quality issues regarding information providers primarily pertained to their lack of credibility; (2) quality issues related to information content encompassed an overwhelming volume of information, inaccuracies, lack of scientific evidence, prevalence of contradictory information, insufficient breadth and depth, a mismatch between content and the needs of women, and information that induces negative emotions; (3) presentation issues manifested as difficulties in understanding the information; and (4) quality issues regarding information platforms included poor usability and the commercialization of these platforms.

Conclusions: Our review identifies 17 key quality features across various dimensions that are valued by perinatal women. While there are similarities with quality indicators found in general health information, the unique quality features shaped by the specific characteristics of the perinatal population cannot be overlooked. These distinctive attributes highlight the importance of tailoring maternal health information to meet the unique needs and preferences of perinatal women. Although digital media information services offer many benefits, this study indicates that perinatal women are dissatisfied with the quality of existing maternal health information. Clearly, future efforts should focus on integrating perinatal women's perceptions of information quality to ensure ongoing improvements in information quality.

Keywords: digital media; information quality perception; information service; maternal and infant health; scoping review.

Figure 1

Study flow diagram.