Overview

The use of mHealth technologies is becoming increasingly popular and holds great promise in advancing health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Despite mhealth technologies being readily available in many countries, there are still challenges that hinder its success. This lab is exploring how to take mhealth technologies to scale in several African countries. In our projects we identify the challenges and opportunities with the implementation of mhealth technologies for maternal health, such as MomConnect, in Kenya and South Africa, and are developing strategies to improve its implementation.

The field of mHealth is rapidly evolving and poses a great opportunity for sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen their health systems and address their most pressing health challenges, including maternal morbidity and mortality. However, challenges remain in the implementation and scale-up of mHealth technologies.

Research Objectives

The Global Health & Innovation Lab is investigating the adoption and implementation of mHealth technologies for improving maternal health in Africa. The researchers are exploring how to effectively scale up specific mHealth technologies including the MomConnect program, a mobile maternal health application, in South Africa.

Implications

From the  results, the Global Health & Innovation lab are developing recommendations of effective strategies for scaling mHealth programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The research team is exploring key areas that promote implementation and scale-up of mHealth programs including strategic partnership and multisectoral coordination, resource mobilization costs and funding, innovation operationalization, and mHealth policy and legislation.

Related Publications

• The implementation of a maternal mHealth project in South Africa: Lessons for taking mHealth innovations to scale (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/20421338.2021.1985946)