Ecological momentary assessment in maternal health management: A scoping review

This scoping review aimed to map the extant literature on the application of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) within maternal health management and to critically evaluate EMA's feasibility, precision, and utility as an innovative tool for enhancing maternal health monitoring and interventions.

This scoping review adheres to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

This scoping review was conducted per the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and the Joanna Briggs Institute's updated methodological guidance for scoping reviews. A comprehensive search was performed across eight databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, the EBSCOhost platform, the China Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform from database inception through December 30, 2024. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts, extracted and charted data using a standardized form, and organized findings in tabular format to support subsequent synthesis and analysis.

Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, and EMA applications in maternal health management clustered into these main domains: prenatal mental health monitoring, early detection of postpartum depression, and high-risk pregnancy management. In prenatal mental health monitoring, EMA facilitated real-time capture of mood fluctuations and contextual behavioral factors, enabling early identification of psychological distress. For postpartum depression surveillance, EMA allowed dynamic tracking of mood, sleep patterns, and fatigue levels to promptly detect depression risk and evaluate the impact of psychological interventions. In high-risk pregnancy management, EMA supports continuous recording of physiological parameters-such as blood pressure and blood glucose-thereby aiding healthcare providers in timely anomaly detection and fostering self-management behaviors among at-risk pregnant individuals.

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) demonstrates significant potential in maternal health management by enhancing the precision and effectiveness of health monitoring and interventions. By facilitating real-time data collection on psychological and physiological parameters, EMA enables timely identification of health issues and supports proactive care strategies. To fully realize EMA's benefits in maternal health, ongoing technological advancements and optimizing application strategies are essential. Such efforts will promote the widespread adoption of EMA, ultimately safeguarding the health and well-being of mothers and infants.