AMPARO: Technology with care actions for children up to one year of age after maternal death

The AMPARO technology was developed with the objective of systematizing and monitoring the care of children under one year of age whose mothers died during childbirth or the postpartum period. This population is in a situation of vulnerability, as maternal absence compromises access to breastfeeding, emotional bonding, and health services, increasing the risk of malnutrition, preventable diseases, and neonatal death. To address this issue, a care action matrix based on Wanda Horta's Theory of Basic Human Needs was created and validated. This theory considers care across psychobiological, psychosocial, and psycho-spiritual dimensions. AMPARO was conceived as a web-based technological solution, enabling continuous, secure, and accessible clinical and social monitoring. The technology organizes and records interventions focused on nutrition, growth, prevention of health problems, strengthening of affective bonds, and emotional and spiritual support. Centralizing this information in a digital system allows collaborative work between health professionals and family members, promoting comprehensive and longitudinal care. The prototype development followed six main stages: literature review, requirements elicitation, system architecture design, partial implementation, and planning for validation and deployment. Eight functional requirements were defined (such as child registration, monitoring based on the care matrix, and generation of individualized reports), along with five non-functional requirements focused on usability, security, performance, and compliance with Brazil’s General Data Protection Law. The adopted architecture was client-server, with a user interface accessible via web browsers and a server layer responsible for data storage and access management. Interfaces were developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, prioritizing simplicity and responsiveness to enhance user experience. Specific screens were created for each age group (0–12 months), integrating the care matrix and allowing personalized monitoring plans according to the child’s profile. Additionally, the system includes access control via authentication, a displayed privacy policy, and report generation to support clinical decisions. The prototype will be validated by experts in women’s health, child development, health technology, and design, and will be assessed in terms of appearance, usability, and functionality. AMPARO represents an innovation in maternal and child health, filling a gap in digital care for children after maternal loss. Its goal is to expand access to care, support health professionals in decision-making, and contribute to care strategies for early childhood. Future studies will evaluate its effectiveness and applicability in real healthcare settings.

Tifany Colomé Leal is a nurse and PhD student in Nursing at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. She holds a Master’s degree in Nursing from the Federal University of Santa Maria. She has professional experience in Neonatal ICU and has taught in the fields of child and adolescent health and critical care. She is currently a faculty member in the Nursing Program at FAEM Faculdades (Central Unit).