Informatics Interventions for Maternal Morbidity: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health Informatics
• Digital Health Interventions
• Pregnancy Complications

Background:

• Increasingly, pregnant women present with poorer health, elevating risks for complications.
• Technology-based interventions offer a strategy for monitoring and treating at-risk pregnant individuals.
• Preventing maternal morbidities and treating perinatal conditions are key goals for these interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of informatics interventions designed and tested for maternal morbidity.
• To identify the types of technologies, conditions addressed, and populations studied.

Main Methods:

• Searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library for relevant studies.
• Included studies testing medical or clinical informatics interventions for adult women.
• Focused on conditions including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preterm birth, severe maternal morbidity, and perinatal mental health.

Main Results:

• Eighty studies met the inclusion criteria, with many addressing multiple conditions.
• Most interventions targeted gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or perinatal mental health (73%), followed by preeclampsia (15%).
• Common technologies included smartphone/tablet apps (32%), telehealth (26%), and remote monitoring (14%). Patient health outcomes were reported in 49% of studies.

Conclusions:

• Informatics interventions primarily address GDM, preeclampsia, and mental health conditions.
• Potential exists to adapt existing technologies, like mobile apps, for conditions such as postpartum hemorrhage.
• Significant gaps remain in the literature regarding informatics for maternal morbidity, suggesting opportunities for broader application.