A Review of e-Health Interventions for Maternal and Child Health in Sub-Sahara Africa
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A Review of e-Health Interventions for Maternal and Child Health in Sub-Sahara Africa Oluwaseun Ireti Obasola • Iyabo Mabawonku Ikeoluwa Lagunju
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Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract To review e-health interventions for maternal and child health (MCH) and to explore their influence on MCH practices in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). Keyword searches were used to retrieve articles from four databases and the websites of organisations involved in e-health projects for MCH in SSA. A total of 18relevant articles were retrieved using inclusion and exclusion criteria. The researchers reveal the prevalence of the application of mobile phones for MCH care and the influence of the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for delivering MCH information and services to target populations. There is a need to move the application of ICT for MCH care from pilot initiatives to interventions involving all stakeholders on a sub-regional scale. These interventions should also adopt an integrated approach that takes care of the information needs at every stage along the continuum of care. It is anticipated that the study would be useful in the evolution and implementation of future ICTbased programmes for MCH in the region.
O. I. Obasola (&) E.Latunde Odeku Medical Library, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] I. Mabawonku Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria I. Lagunju Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria I. Lagunju University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria
Keywords e-Health Sub-Saharan Africa Information and communication technology Maternal and child health Systematic review Interventions
Introduction Maternal and child death rates in Africa are unprecedentedly high. An estimate presented by the Africa Progress Panel in 2010 showed that approximately 50 % of all maternal deaths across the globe occurred in Africa, which had only 15 % of the world’s population [1]. According to a WHO Fact Sheet, approximately 75 % of these deaths could have been averted if the victims were informed about practices that would aid the prevention of pregnancy and birth complications [2]. Despite the emotional devastation that families in the region are experiencing as a result of maternal and child deaths and their effects on human capital development, governments’ efforts aimed at addressing this health burden have continuously fallen short of local and global expectations [1, 3]. ICT applications in health care, popularly referred to as e-health or sometimes m-health (the use of mobile technology for healthcare), is being widely embraced because of its innovation, cost effectiveness, and ability to deliver health information and services to remote locations [4–7]. The prospects of rapidly reducing high maternal and child mortalities prevalent in Africa are soaring because of the vario
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