mHealth Platform Design for Maternal and Child Health Promotion
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Date
2019-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Maternal and child health depends on the health decisions the mother takes before, during and after
pregnancy. These health decisions can be effective when they are based on information and
knowledge. In Ethiopia, health information is available mostly in health facilities and sometimes
promoted via radio and TV. Such health promotion can be further supplemented by the use of
mHealth solution.
The intent of this thesis was to design and develop an Android App and website platforms using
Android studio and WordPress respectively to educate women about maternal and child healthcare
using the official language (Amharic) so that they can make informed and effective health decision.
The content of both platforms is based on the World Health Organization recommendation and
Ethiopian Ministry of Health training manual on prenatal, birth and postnatal care intervention.
During the development of both platforms, emphasis has been given to the danger signs of the
mother and newborn; pregnancy, birth and postpartum complications; and the importance of
delivering at a health facility in order to empower women and seek on-time medical care
throughout the continuum of care.
The mobile App calculates the due date using the Ethiopian calendar and sends notifications about
prenatal visits, fetus development, postnatal visits, and immunizations. Reminders were integrated
to have a profound influence on the timelines of prenatal, birth and postnatal care. The website
provides a platform for pregnant women, mothers and health professionals to interact, ask and get
advice on topics related to pregnancy, childbirth, child development, and postpartum life. A pilot
study assessing the user satisfaction survey on the mobile app resulted a Net Promoter Score of
100% and Customer Effort Score ranging between 86.1% and 100%. The app works in any
Android device with Android version 4 and above while any device with an internet browser can
access the website.
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Keywords
Android Studio, Consumer Health Informatics, Maternal and Child Health, mHealth, WordPress