JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The Infant Mortality Research Partnership in Ohio is working to help women and families on Medicaid who are at risk for infant mortality and preterm birth. As part of this initiative, the researchers at XXX University worked to develop a patient-facing mobile application, OHiFamily, targeted towards, and created for, this population. The OHiFamily application aims to reduce preterm birth rates, improve maternal and infant health, and decrease infant mortality. It hopes to achieve this by providing curated information on community resources and educational sites, promoting healthy behaviors and self-care, and facilitating access to healthcare services.

Objective:

To describe the development of the OHiFamily mobile application and the qualitative feedback received by the application’s intended audience.

Methods:

The researchers conducted needs assessments, performed a landscape analysis, and held focus groups to determine resources and application features of interest to Ohio families on Medicaid.

Results:

Participants from the focus groups were interested in an application that could offer community resources with contact information, information about medical providers and how to contact them, health tips, and information about pregnancy and infant development. We had 9 participants give feedback through 3 focus group sessions and summarized the data. Using these data, the team created a curated resource database and mobile application to help users locate and access resources, as well as access education materials and infant tracking features.

Conclusions:

OHiFamily offers a unique combination of features and access to local resources for families on Medicaid in Ohio not seen in other smartphone applications. The goal of this application is to help families meet their unique needs and get connected to organizations which can help them mitigate risk.