JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy among women that requires self-management to improve mental and physical health outcomes and reduce risk of comorbidity. Digital technology has rapidly emerged as a valuable self-management tool for people with chronic health conditions. However, little is known about the digital technology available for and used by adult individuals with PCOS.

Objective:

The purpose of this scoping review was to identify what is known about digital technology currently available and used by adult individuals with PCOS for PCOS-specific knowledge, self-management, or social support.

Methods:

The databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Compendex were searched using MeSH terms for PCOS, digital technology, health knowledge, self-management, and social support. Inclusion criteria were full-text, peer-reviewed publications from 2014 to 2024 in English about digital technology used for PCOS-specific knowledge, self-management, or social support by adult individuals with PCOS. PCOS. Exclusion criteria were articles about pediatric populations and digital technology used for intervention recruitment or delivery.

Results:

Twenty-two full-text articles met the inclusion criteria. Various modes of digital technology were available with apps being the most prevalent. Very few platforms were PCOS-specific or comprised of multiple features to address each aspect of PCOS self-management. Other findings highlighted varied perceptions of technology usefulness based on reliability of healthcare information, application features, accuracy of PCOS or fertility prediction, low social group engagement, user-friendly interfaces, cultural sensitivity, and accessibility.

Conclusions:

There is potential for digital technology to transform PCOS self-management, but further design and development are needed to optimize these technologies for adult individuals with PCOS. Future research should focus on including end-users during the design phase of digital technology, refining predictive models, increasing app inclusivity, conducting frequent reliability testing, and improving user engagement and support with more features for more comprehensive self-management of PCOS. Clinical Trial: A clinical trial was not conducted.