mHealth Integrated Model of Hypertension, Diabetes and Antenatal Care in India and Nepal

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

The investigators propose to develop and evaluate the use of mHealth to enhance antenatal care (ANC) in primary care settings of India and Nepal. Currently, the usual pathways for obtaining ANC in India and Nepal start with Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Female Community Health Volun...

The investigators propose to develop and evaluate the use of mHealth to enhance antenatal care (ANC) in primary care settings of India and Nepal. Currently, the usual pathways for obtaining ANC in India and Nepal start with Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) respectively. These workers mobilize pregnant women in the community to attend ANC services with Auxiliary Nurse Midwifes (ANMs), who provide routine ANC, and refer women to physicians (MBBS doctors) at PHCs, or higher levels of care, as required. However, health programme managers and providers in both India and Nepal are cognizant of concerns over current ANC practice, and wish to enhance ANC in a number of ways. First, they recognize the changing disease burden and rising importance of PIH and GDM, and seek to increase access to specialized care when needed. The investigators propose using an EDSS intervention to enhance ANC. EDSS can allow FHWs to incorporate screening, detection and referral of high-risk pregnancies for appropriate clinical management into routine ANC services to improve glucose and blood pressure control and health outcomes for both mothers and babies. EDSS should also improve adherence to National ANC guidelines and provide an integrated continuum of maternal care services across several levels of care.

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