Maintaining Continuity of Care for Expectant Mothers in Kenya During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of MomCare

Sanctis, Teresa De; Etiebet, Mary-Ann; Janssens, Wendy; Graaf, Mark H. van der; Montfort, Colette van; Waiyaiya, Emma; Spieker, Nicole

doi:10.9745/ghsp-d-21-00665

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…MomCare is supported by a digital exchange platform and is compatible with existing information architecture ( 44 ). It connects pregnant mothers, healthcare providers and payers (e.g., public health insurers, donors, regional governments) and enables payments, patient engagement, data collection and provides actionable feedback through dashboards.…”

Section: The Momcare Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The platform is developed by PAF in the Amazon Web Services and is able to interact with other data sources, such as payment platforms and patient survey tools. The platform adheres to General Data Protection Regulation and local data protection laws to safeguard the privacy of pregnant mothers ( 44 ). To connect to the digital exchange platform, each clinic needs to have an internet connection and a desktop computer.…”

Section: The Momcare Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As most Kenyans access financial services through their mobile phones, PAF offers enrolled women a “health wallet” on their cell phones to enable payments for health expenses at participating clinics ( 44 ). The MomCare “health wallet” operates on the payment platform called M-Tiba, which is developed by CarePay ( 45 ).…”

Section: The Momcare Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Implementing value-based healthcare using a digital health exchange platform to improve pregnancy and childbirth outcomes in urban and rural Kenya

Dohmen

Sanctis

Waiyaiya³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Maternal and neonatal mortality rates in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are still far above the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3. Value-based healthcare (VBHC) has the potential to outperform traditional supply-driven approaches in changing this dismal situation, and significantly improve maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) outcomes. We developed a theory of change and used a cohort-based implementation approach to create short and long learning cycles along which different components of the VBHC framework were introduced and evaluated in Kenya. At the core of the approach was a value-based care bundle for maternity care, with predefined cost and quality of care using WHO guidelines and adjusted to the risk profile of the pregnancy. The care bundle was implemented using a digital exchange platform that connects pregnant women, clinics and payers. The platform manages financial transactions, enables bi-directional communication with pregnant women via SMS, collects data from clinics and shares enriched information via dashboards with payers and clinics. While the evaluation of health outcomes is ongoing, first results show improved adherence to evidence-based care pathways at a predictable cost per enrolled person. This community case study shows that implementation of the VBHC framework in an LMIC setting is possible for MNCH. The incremental, cohort-based approach enabled iterative learning processes. This can support the restructuring of health systems in low resource settings from an output-driven model to a value based financing-driven model.

show abstract

Section: The Momcare Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Momcare Programmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Implementing value-based healthcare using a digital health exchange platform to improve pregnancy and childbirth outcomes in urban and rural Kenya

Dohmen

Sanctis

Waiyaiya³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Adapting to Adversity through Resilience: The Role of Integrated Health Services Delivery in Sustaining Routine Health Services During COVID-19

Hasan,

Ahmad,

Lee

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems in low- and lower-middle-income countries (L-LMICs), emphasizing the need for resilience—the ability to predict, prepare for, absorb, and adapt to external shocks while maintaining essential functions and improving performance. This scoping review examined the application of Integrated Health Service Delivery (IHSD) strategies to sustain routine (non-COVID-19) healthcare services during the pandemic. Methods We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane, and the WHO Global Research on COVID-19 database from 01 January 2020 to 02 December 2022 for peer-reviewed studies written in English, based on a published protocol (doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042872). Results Of the 4,286 records screened, 30 studies were included in the review, encompassing a range of health topics, including systems strengthening (n = 8), noncommunicable diseases (n = 6), specialized care (n = 6), HIV (n = 3), mental health (n = 3), and other services (n = 3), highlighting the versatility of IHSD models during the pandemic. The results showed a dynamic blend of four typologies of IHSD – organizational (n = 15), functional (n = 17), service (n = 27), and clinical integration (n = 15) – each contributing significantly to the resilience of health systems. Organizational integration facilitated effective coordination and multisectoral collaboration; functional integration emphasized building workforce capacity and digital infrastructure; service integration adapted care delivery through community outreach and telehealth; and clinical integration supported the adoption of new care protocols. Conclusion This review offers critical insights into the application of integrated care approaches, demonstrating their potential to enhance system resilience and inform future health system strengthening efforts in L-LMICs amid ongoing and future healthcare challenges.

show abstract

Digital health systems strengthening in Africa for rapid response to COVID-19

Wit

Janssens

Antwi³

et al. 2022

Front.Health Serv.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 pandemic has painfully exposed the constraints of fragile health systems in low- and middle-income countries, where global containment measures largely set by high-income countries resulted in disproportionate collateral damage. In Africa, a shift is urgently needed from emergency response to structural health systems strengthening efforts, which requires coordinated interventions to increase access, efficiency, quality, transparency, equity, and flexibility of health services. We postulate that rapid digitalization of health interventions is a key way forward to increase resilience of African health systems to epidemic challenges. In this paper we describe how PharmAccess' ongoing digital health system interventions in Africa were rapidly customized to respond to COVID-19. We describe how we developed: a COVID-19 App for healthcare providers used by more than 1,000 healthcare facilities in 15 African countries from May–November 2020; digital loans to support private healthcare providers with USD 20 million disbursed to healthcare facilities impacted by COVID-19 in Kenya; a customized Dutch mobile COVID-19 triage App with 4,500 users in Ghana; digital diaries to track COVID-19 impacts on household expenditures and healthcare utilization; a public-private partnership for real-time assessment of COVID-19 diagnostics in West-Kenya; and an expanded mobile phone-based maternal and child-care bundle to include COVID-19 adapted services. We also discuss the challenges we faced, the lessons learned, the impact of these interventions on the local healthcare system, and the implications of our findings for policy-making. Digital interventions bring efficiency due to their flexibility and timeliness, allowing co-creation, targeting, and rapid policy decisions through bottom-up approaches. COVID-19 digital innovations allowed for cross-pollinating the interests of patients, providers, payers, and policy-makers in challenging times, showing how such approaches can pave the way to universal health coverage and resilient healthcare systems in Africa.

show abstract

Maintaining Continuity of Care for Expectant Mothers in Kenya During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of MomCare

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Implementing value-based healthcare using a digital health exchange platform to improve pregnancy and childbirth outcomes in urban and rural Kenya

Implementing value-based healthcare using a digital health exchange platform to improve pregnancy and childbirth outcomes in urban and rural Kenya

Adapting to Adversity through Resilience: The Role of Integrated Health Services Delivery in Sustaining Routine Health Services During COVID-19

Digital health systems strengthening in Africa for rapid response to COVID-19

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About