The Elusive Path Toward Measuring Health Outcomes: Lessons Learned From a Pseudo-Randomized Controlled Trial of a
Patricia Mechael1, Nadi Nina Kaonga2,3, Subhashini Chandrasekharan2
1HealthEnabled, Washington, DC, United States.
JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth
|August 23, 2019
Summary
Mobile health (mHealth) interventions can improve maternal and child health. Integrating health records data helps link mHealth use to improved health outcomes in urban India.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Informatics
- Digital Health
Background:
- Mobile health (mHealth) enhances access to health services and information.
- Evaluating mHealth impact requires linking technology use to health behavior changes and outcomes.
- Data integration from various sources is crucial for robust mHealth impact assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To share lessons and considerations for evaluating mHealth interventions.
- To incorporate maternal and child health records into a trial evaluating mMitra.
- To assess the impact of a voice messaging program on maternal, newborn, and child health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized new research frameworks for mHealth evaluation.
- Incorporated maternal and child health records data.
- Conducted a pseudo-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the mMitra program.
Main Results:
- Discusses challenges and considerations in linking mHealth interventions to health outcomes.
- Highlights the importance of integrating diverse data sources (self-reported and clinical).
- Provides insights from evaluating a stage-based voice messaging program (mMitra) in urban Indian slums.
Conclusions:
- mHealth offers significant potential for improving maternal and child health outcomes.
- Robust evaluation frameworks and data integration are essential for demonstrating mHealth effectiveness.
- Lessons learned can inform future mHealth program design and impact assessment in similar settings.
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