SynthesisPloS one2025
The mHealth clinical decision-making tools for maternal and perinatal health care in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses and midwives on maternity triage in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study in two urban hospitals.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Socioeconomic and regional disparities in postnatal care utilization in Bangladesh: Evidence from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2022.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Mapping the evidence on mHealth interventions for cardiovascular event care in Africa: a scoping review.Heart (British Cardiac Society) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionmobile Health (mHealth) refers to use of mobile wireless technologies for health. The potential for mHealth to enhance healthcare delivery is supported by near-universal availability of mobile phones and their expanding coverage in low- and middle-income countries. This systematic review analyses the available evidence on mHealth clinical decision-making tools in maternal and perinatal health, and whether they lead to improved maternal and perinatal health outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
methodsEligibility criteria: Studies conducted in SSA describing mHealth tools piloted or used for clinical decision-making in maternal or perinatal healthcare. Exclusion criteria included mHealth tools used outside of maternal and perinatal healthcare, publications lacking sufficient detail (where information couldn't be obtained through contacting authors), articles where tools were used on a laptop or desktop computer, and articles not published in English. Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Global Health, and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles following a predetermined search strategy with no date restrictions. A limited grey literature search was conducted. Risk of bias: We assessed the quality of included studies using the Cochrane Risk of bias 2 tool, Newcastle- Ottawa scale and COREQ. This comprehensive approach ensured a rigorous evaluation of bias and validity in our systematic review. Data extraction and synthesis: Two independent reviewers screened articles and extracted data.
results1119 records were screened, and 36 articles met the inclusion criteria. Fifteen mHealth tools were identified across 11 SSA countries.
conclusionmHealth tools for clinical decision-making in maternal and perinatal care were found to be feasible, usable, and acceptable. They demonstrated adequate user satisfaction, and some demonstrated improvement of pregnancy outcomes. However, technologies lack scalability, with only one scaled up nationally, and few tools interacted with existing health information systems or had plans for sustainability. This review will help establish best practice for developing and scaling up mHealth clinical decision-making tools, helping to improve maternal and perinatal healthcare in SSA.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.