Digital Health Innovations and their Impact on Reducing Maternal and Infant Mortality: A Global Systematic Review of Successes, Challenges, and Best Practices

Abstract

In the world of digital health, innovations have been touted as disruptors in solving long-standing problems concerning maternal and infant mortalities in many LMICs, which are usually lagging in development. This review could cast a critical lens at the worldwide evidence on digital health interventions to curtail maternal and infant mortality, looking at what has worked, challenges, and best practices. After analyzing more than 40 peer-reviewed studies and systematic reviews, this paper synthesizes the effect of mHealth, telehealth, EHRs, and digital education in improving maternal and prenatal outcomes. The major findings have shown considerable improvement in attendance to ANC, skilled birth attendants, and postnatal followup through digital platforms, but still, there exist barriers, including limitations in infrastructure, socio-cultural resistance, limited digital literacy, and sustainability of the program. Best practices emphasize community engagement, integration into existing health systems, and adaptive technology design muscle-fitted to the local environment. This review points out the feasibility presented by digital health to fast-track the reduction of maternal and infant mortality globally, while calling for strategic investments toward strengthen the capacity and enabling policy framework that will ensure equitable access and scalability.