Abstract
Mobile health (mHealth) encompasses the use of mobile telecommunication and multimedia into increasingly mobile and wireless
health care delivery systems and has the potential to improve tens of thousands of lives each year. The ubiquity and penetration
of mobile phones presents the opportunity to leverage mHealth for maternal and newborn care, particularly in under-resourced
health ecosystems. Moreover, the slow progress and funding constraints in attaining the Millennium Development Goals for child
and maternal health encourage harnessing innovative measures, such as mHealth, to address these public health priorities.
This literature review provides a schematic overview of the outcomes, barriers, and strategies of integrating mHealth to improve
prenatal and neonatal health outcomes. Six electronic databases were methodically searched using predetermined search terms.
Retrieved articles were then categorized according to themes identified in previous studies. A total of 34 articles and reports
contributed to the findings with information about the use and limitations of mHealth for prenatal and neonatal healthcare
access and delivery. Health systems have implemented mHealth programs to facilitate emergency medical responses, point-of-care
support, health promotion and data collection. However, the policy infrastructure for funding, coordinating and guiding the
sustainable adoption of prenatal and neonatal mHealth services remains under-developed. The integration of mobile health for
prenatal and newborn health services has demonstrated positive outcomes, but the sustainability and scalability of operations
requires further feedback from and evaluation of ongoing programs.
health care delivery systems and has the potential to improve tens of thousands of lives each year. The ubiquity and penetration
of mobile phones presents the opportunity to leverage mHealth for maternal and newborn care, particularly in under-resourced
health ecosystems. Moreover, the slow progress and funding constraints in attaining the Millennium Development Goals for child
and maternal health encourage harnessing innovative measures, such as mHealth, to address these public health priorities.
This literature review provides a schematic overview of the outcomes, barriers, and strategies of integrating mHealth to improve
prenatal and neonatal health outcomes. Six electronic databases were methodically searched using predetermined search terms.
Retrieved articles were then categorized according to themes identified in previous studies. A total of 34 articles and reports
contributed to the findings with information about the use and limitations of mHealth for prenatal and neonatal healthcare
access and delivery. Health systems have implemented mHealth programs to facilitate emergency medical responses, point-of-care
support, health promotion and data collection. However, the policy infrastructure for funding, coordinating and guiding the
sustainable adoption of prenatal and neonatal mHealth services remains under-developed. The integration of mobile health for
prenatal and newborn health services has demonstrated positive outcomes, but the sustainability and scalability of operations
requires further feedback from and evaluation of ongoing programs.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s10995-011-0836-3
- Authors
- Tigest Tamrat, Healthcare Innovation and Technology Lab, 3960 Broadway, Room 410, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Stan Kachnowski, Indian Institutes of Technology, Delhi, India
- Journal Maternal and Child Health Journal
- Online ISSN 1573-6628
- Print ISSN 1092-7875