Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Mar 6;19(3):e0295437.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295437. eCollection 2024.

Utilisation of mobile phone interventions to improve the delivery of maternal health services in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review protocol

Asahngwa Constantine  1 , Arone Wondwossen Fantaye  2 , Amos Buh  3   4 , Pamela Obegu  2 , Karine Fournier  2   5 , Mwenya Kasonde  6 , Choolwe Jacobs  7 , Phiri Clementina  8 , Ronald Gobina  1 , Odette Kibu  1 , Denis Foretia  1   9 , Miriam Nkangu  4   10 , Sanni Yaya  11   12
Affiliations

Utilisation of mobile phone interventions to improve the delivery of maternal health services in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review protocol

Asahngwa Constantine et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: There has been significant progress in maternal health outcomes in the sub-Saharan African region since the early 1990s, in part due to digital and mobile health interventions. However, critical gaps and disparities remain. Mobile phones in particular have potential to reach underserved, hard-to-reach populations with underdeveloped infrastructure. In spite of the opportunities for mobile phones to address maternal mortality in the region, there is no extensive mapping of the available literature on mobile phone interventions that aim to improve access of maternal care in sub-Saharan Africa. The proposed scoping review aims to map literature on the nature and extent of mobile phones interventions designed to improve maternal care health services in the region.

Methods: Conduct of this scoping review will be guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute approach. Literature searches will be conducted in multiple electronic databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Global Health, African Index Medicus, Web of Science, and Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts. Grey literature will also be identified. Keyword searches will be used to identify articles. Two reviewers will independently screen eligible titles, abstracts and full articles with a third reviewer to help resolve any disputes. We will extract data on general study characteristics, population characteristics, concept, context, intervention details, study results, gaps and recommendations.

Discussion: Understanding use of mobile phones among underserved, hard-to-reach populations with underdeveloped infrastructure to address maternal mortality in developing countries is very critical to informing health systems on potential effective strategies. This review will complement the evidence base on utilisation of mobile phone interventions to improve the delivery of maternal health services in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. World Health Organization. Maternal health. Accessed April 9, 2022. https://www.who.int/health-topics/maternal-health#tab=tab_1
    1. Black RE, Walker N, Laxminarayan R, Temmerman M. Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health: Key Messages of This Volume. In: Black RE, Laxminarayan R, Temmerman M, et al.. editors., eds. Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health: Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 2). Vol 2. 3rd ed. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2016. doi: 10.1596/978-1-4648-0348-2_CH1 - DOI
    1. Mehedi Hasan M, Soares Magalhaes RJ, Ahmed S, et al.. Meeting the global target in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health care services in low- And middle-income countries. Glob Heal Sci Pract. 2021;8(4):654–665. doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00097/-/DCSUPPLEMENTAL - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mahler H. The safe motherhood initiative: a call to action. Lancet. 1987;1(8534):668–670. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)90423-5 - DOI - PubMed
    1. United Nations. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Progress Report on Health-related MDGs. Published February 19, 2018. Accessed February 5, 2022. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/millennium-development-...