Mobile Applications for People With Fecal Intestinal Stomas: A Scoping Review With Technological Prospection.

Objective: To map, in the literature and mobile app stores, mobile applications for health care support for individuals with fecal intestinal stomas.

Data sources: The search was conducted in the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, Web of Science, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Capes), Scientific Open Access Repository of Portugal (RCAAP), The National Library of Australia's Trove, and Academic Archive Online (DIVA).

Study selection: Studies were initially selected based on titles and abstracts. Full-text studies were included if they addressed applications with content and functionalities aimed at the care of individuals with intestinal ostomies. The app store selection followed the same procedure: review of title and description, followed by download and analysis.

Data extraction: From the selected studies, information was extracted regarding study objectives, app names, content, functionalities, and main conclusions. From the app stores, data were extracted on app names, developers, app size, latest update, content, and functionalities.

Data synthesis: The final sample comprised 12 studies and 13 applications. Most aimed to provide self-care information for individuals with intestinal ostomies after hospital discharge. Others facilitated communication with health care professionals, with the primary function of enabling patient monitoring.

Conclusions: There is a promising landscape for the development of new mobile technologies to support individuals with intestinal ostomies. However, there is a lack of studies on this topic, particularly on the impact of these technologies on the target population.