Mobile Telephone Follow-Up to Ascertain Birth Outcomes in The Gambia

Abstract

Introduction: In the past decade, mobile telephone use has surged in sub-Saharan Africa, creating new opportunities in health care. Mobile telephone interventions have been used in controlled trials to improve perinatal care, but in this first cohort study of birth outcomes from The Gambia, we report the value of mobile telephone follow-up. Methods: Between December 2012 and November 2015, 1,611 women entered the cohort at their first antenatal visit to be followed through pregnancy and beyond. Potential risk factors for adverse birth outcomes were measured throughout the pregnancy. As many women left the health center within a few hours of delivery, delivered elsewhere, or failed to attend the postnatal clinics, mobile telephone follow-up was used to identify stillbirths and neonatal deaths at 7 and 28 days. Results: The immediate birth outcome was known for 968 women who delivered at the health center (60.1%). The known outcomes at birth improved from 60.1% to 85.2% following telephone calls to women who delivered elsewhere. The known outcomes at 7 days improved from 43.6% to 82.5%, and the known outcomes at 28 days improved from 32.8% to 71.5% following a telephone call. Conclusions: Previous cohort studies of birth outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa have not followed the mothers and babies after leaving the birth facility. This cohort is the first to record birth outcomes up to 28 days after the birth. Mobile telephone communications have made an invaluable contribution in intervention studies. This study has shown that mobile telephone follow-up is also an important tool in an observational study.

Understanding rural women's preferences for telephone call engagement with primary health care providers in Nigeria: a discrete choice experiment

“…5 6 One application of mobile phone-based engagement is through telephone calls by healthcare providers to health service users to increase access to care remotely and improve treatment outcomes through early follow-ups, routine symptom monitoring and adherence support. [1][2][3][4] For the benefits of telephone call engagement to be realised, service users must have the desire to engage and continue the engagement. 2 Inappropriate implementation of telephone call engagement may lead to domestic conflict or violence.…”

“…Mobile phones have been increasingly recognised as an effective means to improve access to and use of health services, particularly among underserved populations 1–3. Mobile phone ownership has recently increased in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), reaching even the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa 2–4. This widespread availability of mobile phones has led to innovative interventions in many aspects of healthcare 1 3 4.…”

“…Mobile phone ownership has recently increased in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), reaching even the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa 2–4. This widespread availability of mobile phones has led to innovative interventions in many aspects of healthcare 1 3 4. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the integration of phone-based engagement into the delivery of healthcare services 5 6.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the integration of phone-based engagement into the delivery of healthcare services 5 6. One application of mobile phone-based engagement is through telephone calls by healthcare providers to health service users to increase access to care remotely and improve treatment outcomes through early follow-ups, routine symptom monitoring and adherence support 1–4…”

“…[1][2][3] Mobile phone ownership has recently increased in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), reaching even the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. [2][3][4] This widespread availability of mobile phones has led to innovative interventions in many aspects…”