Mobile health applications: characterization of the scientific production of Brazilian nursing

Abstract

The use of mobile devices by nurses is increasing in healthcare. This bibliometric study identified the development of mobile health applications in Brazilian stricto sensu master’s and doctoral scientific production in the area of nursing, by searching the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel’s (CAPES) Catalog of Theses and Dissertations. The sample consisted of 24 studies, of which 19 were master’s dissertations and five were doctoral theses. The studies addressed a range of topics, with a predominance of studies on intensive care, and adult and elderly healthcare, as well as on topics such as systematization of nursing care. Of these productions, 16 (66.7%) were care-focused, six (25%) were education-focused and two (8.3%) were management-focused. It was possible to identify that Brazilian nursing is advancing scientifically in the field of mobile technology and is adopting this resource to produce applications with outcomes that strengthen healthcare practice, education and management, although these applications remain scarce in relation to the context of international production.