An mHealth monitoring system for traditional birth attendant-led antenatal risk assessment in rural Guatemala

Limited funding for medical technology, low levels of education and poor infrastructure for delivering and maintaining technology severely limit medical decision support in low- and middle-income countries. Perinatal and maternal mortality is of particular concern with millions dying every year from...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical engineering & technology 2016-11, Vol.40 (7-8), p.356-371
Main Authors: Stroux, Lisa, Martinez, Boris, Coyote Ixen, Enma, King, Nora, Hall-Clifford, Rachel, Rohloff, Peter, Clifford, Gari D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Feasibility Studies
Female
Fetal Monitoring
Fetus - physiology
Guatemala
Heart Sounds
Humans
Intrauterine growth restriction
Maternal Health Services
mHealth
Midwifery
perinatal monitoring
Pregnancy
resource constrained healthcare
Risk Assessment
Rural Population
Young Adult
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Summary:Limited funding for medical technology, low levels of education and poor infrastructure for delivering and maintaining technology severely limit medical decision support in low- and middle-income countries. Perinatal and maternal mortality is of particular concern with millions dying every year from potentially treatable conditions. Guatemala has one of the worst maternal mortality ratios, the highest incidence of intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), and one of the lowest gross national incomes per capita within Latin America. To address the lack of decision support in rural Guatemala, a smartphone-based system is proposed including peripheral sensors, such as a handheld Doppler for the identification of foetal compromise. Designed for use by illiterate birth attendants, the system uses pictograms, audio guidance, local and cloud processing, SMS alerts and voice calling. The initial prototype was evaluated on 22 women in highland Guatemala. Results were fed back into the refinement of the system, currently undergoing RCT evaluation.
ISSN:0309-1902
1464-522X
DOI:10.1080/03091902.2016.1223196