JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Hypertension is one of the most prevalent medical conditions that arise during pregnancy resulting in maternal, and neonatal complications. mHealth has emerged as an innovative intervention for delivering maternal and child health healthcare services. Even though there are multiple studies published on mHealth interventions for pregnant women with hypertensive disorders, the evidence on the effectiveness of mHealth interventions in improving the health outcomes of pregnant women with hypertensive disorders is unclear. Therefore, there’s a need for evidence synthesis using systematic review methods to address this evidence gap.

Objective:

This review aims to determine the efficacy of mHealth interventions in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with hypertensive disorders. The review will answer the following research questions: a) What are the types of mHealth intervention used in pregnant women with hypertensive disorders? b) Are the various mHealth interventions effective in improving the maternal and neonatal health outcomes, health behaviours and their knowledge of the disease? c) Are mHealth interventions effective in supporting the healthcare providers to make healthcare decisions of pregnant women with the hypertensive disorders?

Methods:

This review will include Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), Non-randomized Controlled Trials (non-RCTs), and cohort studies focusing on mHealth interventions for pregnant women with hypertensive disorders. Studies reporting healthcare providers use of mHealth intervention in providing care for pregnant women with hypertensive disorders will be included. Studies on mHealth interventions for post-partum hypertension will be excluded. The search strategy will be tailored to each database using database specific search terms. Search will be conducted in PubMed-Medline, Pro-Quest, CINHAL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Other literature sources such as trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP, and CTRI) and bibliographies of relevant studies will be additionally searched. Studies published in English from January 2000 to January 2023 will be included. Two review authors will independently perform the data extraction and the quality appraisal. For quality appraisal of RCTs, the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool-II will be used. ROBIN’s (risk of bias in non-randomized studies of interventions) tool will be used for non-RCTs, and the CASP checklist for cohort studies will be used. Any disagreements between the two reviewers will be resolved through discussion and a third reviewer if required. A meta-analysis will be performed based on the data availability.

Results:

As per the protocol, the study methodology was followed, and two independent reviewers conducted the search in six databases and clinical registries. Currently, the review is at full-text screening stage.

Conclusions:

The evidence synthesized from this systematic review will help guide future research, support healthcare decisions, and inform policymakers on the effectiveness of various mHealth interventions in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes of hypertensive pregnant women. Clinical Trial: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022321686