1. Telehealth and Breastfeeding: An Integrative Review
- Author
-
Denise Antunes de Azambuja, Laura Ferraz dos Santos, and Rosália Figueiró Borges
- Subjects
Telemedicine ,020205 medical informatics ,Breastfeeding ,Health Informatics ,02 engineering and technology ,Telehealth ,computer.software_genre ,Videoconferencing ,Health Information Management ,Nursing ,Health care ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Humans ,Qualitative Research ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,Breast Feeding ,Information and Communications Technology ,Asynchronous communication ,Female ,Psychology ,business ,computer ,Brazil ,Qualitative research - Abstract
Background: This is an integrative review of scientific articles, published from 2000 to 2018, that address strategies for breastfeeding through telehealth. Telehealth is the safe and low cost use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in health care. The objective is to identify the scientific production on the subject of telehealth as a support strategy for breastfeeding. Methods: A qualitative research study was carried out with emphasis on the integrative review of the Embase, Bireme, and PubMed databases, in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. The descriptors used were "breastfeeding" and "telemedicine." Results: Twenty-three articles were identified and categorized as (1) synchronous support for telephone calls and/or videoconference; (2) asynchronous support for audio and text messaging, interactive websites, and mobile application; and (3) systematic review and meta-analysis. Experiences demonstrated viability to implementation, impact on exclusive breastfeeding time, and maintenance of breastfeeding, as well as positive user satisfaction. Conclusion: Viable telehealth strategies exist to support breastfeeding. With the existence of telehealth hubs, structured more than 10 years in Brazil, there seems to be potential in the development of projects in the area. There is room for innovation and for the expansion of telehealth services already offered.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF