Development of a mobile application as an education strategy for mental health matrix support

Abstract

This is an applied research, of a descriptive-exploratory nature and a mixed analysis approach that proposed the creation and validation of a technological tool that was based on the development of a mobile application (app) aimed at promoting matrix support in mental health, offered to health professionals at the Psychosocial Care Center and Basic Health Units. Study developed from a professional master's research project at Ribeirão Preto University.The general objective of the study was to develop and validate a mobile application as a tool to support mental health matrix support in a municipality in the interior of Rondônia. The development of the app took place from 2021 (creation) to 2023 (execution and usability). The sample for validating the mobile application was made up of 43 health professionals from UBS’s and 05 from CAPS, totaling 48 participants. Through this research, it was possible to see that the CapsMatri application proved to be an innovative tool in the face of the reality of matrix support that the CAPS specialized unit needs to offer in UBS’s, especially in the municipality where the research took place. Furthermore, this study provided the expansion of matrix support activities in mental health using technology, enabling a new configuration of matrix support practices, especially after experiencing the pandemic context.