Pregnant women’s perceptions and experiences of social media communication for antenatal care: a scoping review

Background and rationale The use of social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and WeChat has become increasingly common in antenatal care delivery, particularly as health systems seek to improve communication, continuity of care, and access to information for pregnant women. Social media–based communication is used to provide health education, appointment reminders, peer support, and direct interaction with healthcare providers. While such approaches are widely implemented across diverse settings, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, evidence on how pregnant women perceive and experience these forms of communication remains dispersed and heterogeneous. Understanding pregnant women’s perceptions and lived experiences is essential for informing person-centred, acceptable, and equitable antenatal care. Existing studies vary in terms of platforms, formats, moderation models, and contexts, and no comprehensive synthesis has systematically mapped this evidence with a focus on experiential outcomes rather than clinical effectiveness. A scoping review is therefore appropriate to identify, describe, and organize the available evidence, highlight gaps, and support future research and implementation. Purpose and objectives The purpose of this scoping review is to map and synthesize existing literature on pregnant women’s perceptions and experiences of social media communication for antenatal care. The specific objectives are to: Identify the types of social media platforms and communication formats used for antenatal care. Describe pregnant women’s reported perceptions, experiences, and acceptability of social media–based antenatal communication. Explore perceived benefits, challenges, and equity-related considerations, including digital literacy, access, privacy, and sociocultural influences. Identify gaps in the current evidence base to inform future research, policy, and program design. Methods overview This scoping review will follow the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, refined by Levac et al., and will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The review will include qualitative studies, mixed-methods studies, surveys, and program evaluations that report pregnant women’s perceptions, experiences, or acceptability of social media communication for antenatal care. Evidence will be identified through a systematic search of PubMed, with screening and data charting conducted independently by two reviewers and discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Expected outcomes and contribution The review will produce a comprehensive mapping of how pregnant women experience social media communication in antenatal care across different platforms and settings. Expected outputs include: A thematic synthesis of pregnant women’s reported experiences and perceptions. Identification of facilitators and barriers to acceptable and equitable implementation. Documentation of gaps in geographic coverage, population subgroups, and methodological approaches. The findings will inform researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers seeking to design or scale social media–based antenatal care interventions that are responsive to pregnant women’s needs and contexts, particularly in resource-constrained settings.