Mobile apps for disadvantaged societies

Objective: To describe the impacts of mobile applications directly in favor of the health of disadvantaged communities living in low-income or developing countries and, indirectly, through healthcare professionals providing assistance in these areas. Methods: This is an integrative literature review in the PubMed, SciELO and LILACS databases of original evidence-based research, published between 2010 and 2019, available in full and in Brazilian Portuguese and English, through the guiding question: "What is the impact of mobile applications on direct and indirect health care in low-income and developing populations?". The following descriptors were used: biomedical technology, health information and mobile applications, the latter being present in all intersections. The strategy of search, selection and categorization of studies was performed by the reading of a researcher. Results: The applications demonstrated benefits regarding the diagnosis of diseases, users' treatment adherence, patient follow-up by health professionals and self-care, constituting an important tool fa monitoring and managing diseases. Conclusion: Mobile technology has the potential to improve primary care services through qualification of health care promoted by professionals and direct access of users, especially in low-income countries, whose health indicators are worrisome.