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To identify what is currently known about how women experience online antenatal education.
Integrative literature review.
This integrative review applied the five-stage methodological framework outlined by Whittemore and Knafl (2005), supporting rigour in problem identification, selection and critical appraisal of quality literature, data analysis and synthesis of findings.
A literature search was conducted in May/June 2022, utilizing databases including OVID Embase, CINAHL, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP database, Nursing and Allied Health database, Wiley Online Library, Google scholar search engine and related reference lists. The search was limited to English language and primary research articles published in the last 10-year period (2012–2022).
12 articles met inclusion criteria. Three primary themes were identified: Comprehensibility: Looking back – understanding women's needs and preferences; Manageability: In the moment – flexibility versus social connection; and Meaningfulness & sustainability: Looking forward – the future of digital maternity education.
Findings identified a marked digital divide for women accessing online antenatal education, placing vulnerable women at risk of continuing inequity. E-health literacy frameworks need to be implemented to create genuine accessibility, comprehensibility and cultural responsiveness to best meet the needs of users.
As digital health is an emerging field, there is strong evidence that online antenatal education requires further evaluation to better meet the needs of pregnant women and their support people. Enhancing digital health literacy for health professionals will also promote a greater understanding for how to uphold and support the socio-technical dimensions of online service delivery.
There were no patient or public contributions as part of this integrative review of the literature.
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