Digital Transformation of Maternal Health data through secure mobile applications: A Pilot Study
Abstract
Background mHealth is crucial in maternal health. They directly improve access to care & information, which reduces adverse maternal-perinatal outcomes, ultimately playing a vital role in improving overall maternal health. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, like gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, are a major global health concern, contributing 10–15% of maternal and neonatal complications worldwide, resulting in elevated blood pressure, proteinuria, increased cardiovascular disease, preterm, organ failure, and so on.Objectives The primary aim of this research is to validate a mobile application intervention in improving maternal and fetal outcomes for healthcare data management that enables clinical pharmacists to decentralize the medical history of pregnant women, thereby assisting healthcare providers in diagnosing and planning treatment.Methods The app was designed to be user-friendly for both pregnant women and healthcare providers, with a comprehensive data storage system that aims to prevent the loss of health records. IT professionals developed it, and input was sought from obstetricians. A clinical pharmacist was responsible for entering and monitoring these data. Women diagnosed with HDP and diabetes, participating in a maternal health intervention, were enrolled in the study. After enrolment, the study participants were randomized into an intervention and a non-intervention group, where the intervention group was advised to answer the CPMHA questionnaire to access their maternal health metrics. Then, the intervention group received the maternal health intervention through the maternal health guide, and the non-intervention group received the standard care.Results The primary objective was achieved in the intervention group through the incorporation of an mHealth application. The mobile application significantly reduced the occurrence of missing data for antenatal visits and follow-up. The validity and reliability of the structured questionnaire showed an excellent Cronbach’s alpha of 0.9 for assessing maternal health metrics for intervention. The primary outcome was predominant in the intervention group, aged between 21 and 28, primigravid, employed, literate, and from joint families. Gestational hypertension was seen in most of the maternal mothers. Vaginal deliveries, improved maternal and neonatal outcomes, with higher rates were seen in the intervention than the control group.Conclusion The m-health application for storing and retrieving maternal health data with the help of clinical pharmacist intervention was validated as highly effective, with a positive outcome. From a health perspective, our study promotes collaborative research with app developers, distributors, and health care professionals in order to ensure scalability and impact on maternal delivery outcomes, which follows a standard, safe, validated m-health application.
Citation Information
@article{dhanalakshmip2026,
title={Digital Transformation of Maternal Health data through secure mobile applications: A Pilot Study},
author={Dhanalakshmi P and Lakshmi K and Sreeja PA and Naga Rithesh N and Harikrishnan N and Aman Suresh Tharayil and Chathreian SR},
journal={Discover Public Health},
year={2026},
doi={https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9124324/v1}
}
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