Department of Public Health Informatics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.
Reproductive Health Unit, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024 Oct 22;24(1):690. doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06885-2.
Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have shown potential to improve maternal and child health outcomes in Africa, but their effectiveness depends on specific interventions, context, and implementation quality. Challenges such as limited infrastructure, low digital literacy, and sustainability need to be addressed. Further evaluation studies are essential to summarize the impact of mHealth interventions. Thus, this synthesis focuses on qualitative evidence of the impact of mHealth on maternal and child health in Africa to summarize such evidence to help policy decisions.
A qualitative systematic review guided by the concepts of Intervention, Context, Mechanism, and Outcome (ICAMO) was employed in this study. The GRADE CERQual assessment and methodological constraints tools were utilized in the review to ascertain the level of confidence in the evidence and to examine the methodological limitations. The JBI checklist for qualitative research appraisal was also consulted during the review.
The current review contains 32 eligible studies from databases such as CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, HINARI, and Cochrane Library. The review demonstrated substantial improvements in the HCP-woman relationship, communication system, maternal and child healthcare uptake, health-seeking behavior, and HCP skills. Economic capacities, maternal education, and the low quality of existing services challenged participants.
mHealth significantly improves maternal and child health outcomes in Africa. This review showed it can improve healthcare access, empower women, and contribute to the region's goal of universal health coverage. However, the challenges such as low partner support, high costs for services, and poor quality of current care as narrated by women need commitment from health authorities in the continent. The evidence from this review suggests that mHealth can be implemented to improve maternal and child health in Africa.
PROSPERO: CRD42023461425.
移动医疗（mHealth）干预措施已显示出改善非洲母婴健康结果的潜力，但它们的有效性取决于具体的干预措施、背景和实施质量。需要解决基础设施有限、数字素养低和可持续性等挑战。进一步的评估研究对于总结 mHealth 干预措施的影响至关重要。因此，本综述侧重于定性证据，以总结 mHealth 对非洲母婴健康的影响，以帮助决策。
本研究采用干预、背景、机制和结果（ICAMO）概念指导的定性系统综述。在综述中使用 GRADE CERQual 评估和方法学限制工具来确定证据的置信度，并检查方法学限制。在综述过程中还参考了 JBI 定性研究评估清单。
本次综述包含了来自 CINAHL、EMBASE、MEDLINE、Scopus、Web of Science、HINARI 和 Cochrane 图书馆等数据库的 32 项合格研究。综述表明，医疗保健提供者与妇女的关系、沟通系统、母婴保健服务的利用、寻求医疗服务的行为和医疗保健提供者的技能得到了实质性的改善。参与者面临的挑战包括经济能力、母亲的教育水平以及现有服务质量低。
mHealth 显著改善了非洲的母婴健康结果。本综述表明，它可以改善医疗保健的可及性，赋予妇女权力，并为该地区实现全民健康覆盖的目标做出贡献。然而，妇女所叙述的低合作伙伴支持、服务成本高和现有护理质量差等挑战需要非洲卫生当局的承诺。本综述的证据表明，mHealth 可以在非洲实施，以改善母婴健康。
PROSPERO：CRD42023461425。
