A co-design approach for the development of a mHealth solution to support the first 1000 days of life

To support the first 1000 days of life, it is essential to develop tools that meet the needs of expectant and new parents, as well as the expectations of health professionals and healthcare institutions. To incorporate the perspectives of all stakeholders, we used a participatory design approach by 1) identifying and analyzing the needs of primary (expectant and new parents), secondary (health professionals), and tertiary (healthcare institutions) users; 2) brainstorming and prototyping telehealth tools; 3) testing and refining the prototypes; and 4) evaluating their implementation. Exploring the IRCSS Burlo Garofolo’s perspective allowed us to highlight the urgent need to better inform and empower patients and families. We studied the views of health professionals and expectant and new parents while developing a digital ecosystem in parallel. We found that both primary and secondary users generally agreed with the proposed solution. A randomized controlled trial is currently underway to test the effectiveness of the digital ecosystem in supporting the first 1000 days of life. Implementing such a co-design approach was essential for the development of an appropriate and tailored mHealth solution for maternal and child health. The close synergy between the expertise of public health institutions and their professionals with technology developers and innovation accelerators and promoters is crucial for the development of a mHealth tool that can effectively support all stakeholders during the crucial time of the first 1000 days of life and ultimately ensure better and more equal outcomes for both mother and child.