The Role of Digital Health in the Early Detection and Management of Obstetric Complications in the Community: A Systematic Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization, obstetric complications are thought to be the cause of death for 10.7 million mothers worldwide. In developing countries like Indonesia, maternal mortality rates are still high. Compared to 2019, there were 418 more incidents of maternal death in 2020. AIM: The goal of the study was to explain how much digital technology contributed to the early identification of risk factors for obstetric complications. METHODS: The work stages were observed while conducting the review, and relevant publications from databases were used. These databases included PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Scopus. The papers were retrieved between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2022, using the keywords “pregnant lady” AND (Telemedicine OR “Mobile Health” OR Telehealth OR mHealth) AND (“Labor Complication” OR “Pregnancy Complication” OR “Puerperal Disorder”). Forty-five articles that discussed early obstetric detection and management were obtained based on the established inclusion criteria and met the inclusion requirements. RESULTS: The term “telemedicine applications” refers to the use of health communications technology to provide remote consultation, diagnosis, education, and treatment services to detect and diagnose pregnancy complications and manage pregnancy and care during pregnancy. Applications for smartphones offer a tremendous deal of potential to enhance pregnant women’s health. Support is required for maternal health services to help with antenatal care services in the community setting. The program can identify and manage pregnancy-related issues like weight gain, diabetes mellitus, nausea, vomiting, HIV, hemolysis, and depression. CONCLUSION: It is expected that this review would be able to identify any difficulties that mothers may face early on in their pregnancies. In addition, it is believed that existing applications would be able to manage the moms’ health and perform the necessary interventions and tactics to reduce difficulties.