SD Gupta School of Public Health, IIHMR University, Jaipur, India.
Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, Jazeera University, Mogadishu, Somalia.
PLoS One. 2024 Nov 13;19(11):e0313655. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313655. eCollection 2024.
Preeclampsia remains a formidable public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where it significantly contributes to the high rates of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. The advent of mobile health (mHealth) applications presents a promising avenue for enhancing the management of preeclampsia. This review protocol is designed to systematically assess the effectiveness and equity of mHealth apps in managing preeclampsia within LMICs, with a focus on clinical outcomes and the broader implications for accessibility, affordability, and cultural relevance.
To achieve the objectives of this review, a rapid review methodology will be employed, encompassing a structured search strategy to identify pertinent studies from databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, as well as grey literature. The inclusion criteria are set to encompass randomized controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCTs), observational studies, and qualitative studies that offer insights into the effectiveness and user experience of mHealth apps for preeclampsia management. Participants in these studies will include pregnant women at risk for or diagnosed with preeclampsia, healthcare providers, and app developers. The quality of the included studies will be critically appraised using standardized tools, and data extraction will focus on study characteristics, interventions, outcomes, and equity considerations.
The implications of this review are far-reaching, offering the potential to inform stakeholders including policymakers, healthcare providers, and app developers about the deployment and development of mHealth solutions for preeclampsia management in LMICs. Ultimately, the anticipated findings of this review are expected to contribute significantly to the understanding of mHealth apps' role in improving preeclampsia management and addressing healthcare disparities, thereby guiding future strategies to enhance maternal and neonatal health outcomes in LMICs.
子痫前期仍然是一个严峻的公共卫生挑战，特别是在中低收入国家（LMICs），它极大地导致了产妇和新生儿发病率和死亡率居高不下。移动健康（mHealth）应用的出现为改善子痫前期的管理提供了一个有前途的途径。本综述方案旨在系统评估 mHealth 应用在 LMICs 中管理子痫前期的有效性和公平性，重点关注临床结果以及对可及性、可负担性和文化相关性的更广泛影响。
为了实现本综述的目标，将采用快速综述方法，包括一个结构化的搜索策略，从 PubMed、Cochrane 图书馆和 Google Scholar 等数据库以及灰色文献中识别相关研究。纳入标准设定为包括随机对照试验（RCTs）、对照临床试验（CCTs）、观察性研究和定性研究，这些研究提供了有关 mHealth 应用程序用于子痫前期管理的有效性和用户体验的见解。这些研究的参与者将包括有子痫前期风险或已被诊断为子痫前期的孕妇、医疗保健提供者和应用程序开发人员。将使用标准化工具对纳入研究的质量进行批判性评估，数据提取将侧重于研究特征、干预措施、结果和公平性考虑因素。
本综述的影响深远，有潜力为利益相关者（包括政策制定者、医疗保健提供者和应用程序开发人员）提供有关在 LMICs 中部署和开发 mHealth 解决方案以管理子痫前期的信息。最终，预计本综述的预期发现将对理解 mHealth 应用程序在改善子痫前期管理和解决医疗保健差距方面的作用做出重大贡献，从而指导未来在 LMICs 中提高产妇和新生儿健康结果的策略。
