Moving at the speed of innovation: mobile tech and AI in MNH

In rural Liberia, delays in emergency cesarean delivery lead to preventable maternal and neonatal harm. This study assessed the impact of a combined intervention-a Mobile Based Obstetric Emergency System (MORES) and a midwife led triage program-on timeliness of care in Bong County. Structured observational data were collected from 72 women referred from 20 rural facilities who underwent emergency cesarean sections across two hospitals. By endline, the median decision to incision interval (DDI) decreased by 117.5 minutes compared to baseline (p < 0.01), and the odds of receiving a cesarean within 75 minutes increased significantly (AOR: 11.7; 95% CI: 1.32-104.5). No maternal deaths occurred, and neonatal deaths were not associated with DDI. Providers noted improved communication, triage efficiency, and confidence in patient handovers. Findings demonstrate that combining digital referral tools with midwife led triage can significantly reduce delays in emergency obstetric care, offering a scalable approach for strengthening maternal health systems.

Jacaranda Health’s PROMPTS platform is an AI-powered helpdesk supporting over 5 million mothers across 23 counties in Kenya. By flagging danger signs through SMS and AI triage, PROMPTS enables rapid response and care linkage , 94% of high-risk mothers received care, 14% received direct counseling, and 30% sought care within 24 hours. Common maternal symptoms included severe abdominal pain (9%) and reduced fetal movement (6%), while newborn issues included fever (5%) and jaundice (3%). The platform strengthened behavior change: 88% attended 4+ ANC visits, PROMPTS users were twice as likely to adopt postpartum family planning, and 89% practiced exclusive breastfeeding. With a 15-minute average response time and 6,000+ daily questions managed, the helpdesk boosts system responsiveness. Feedback from facilities confirms stronger ANC/PNC engagement. This session will highlight how real-time digital triage and education can reduce delays and improve maternal and newborn outcomes in low-resource settings.

Postpartum family planning (PPFP) is essential for healthy birth spacing and improved maternal newborn outcomes, yet many women in Kenya face barriers to uptake and continuation. Jacaranda Health’s digital health platform, PROMPTS, addresses these barriers by delivering tailored, SMS based health information and nudges to mothers. This session presents behavioral insights from Human Centered Design (HCD) research conducted in Nairobi and Kajiado to understand the factors influencing PPFP decisions. Five key themes emerged: community care structures, myths and misinformation, access to facilities and knowledge, gendered perceptions of parenthood, and socioeconomic childbearing preferences. Findings highlight the importance of nuanced digital interventions that consider literacy, cultural dynamics, and male engagement. PROMPTS demonstrates how mHealth platforms can be used to share real time, tailored reproductive health content, helping mothers make informed choices. This session offers practical lessons for implementers seeking to use digital tools to improve reproductive health behaviors in low resource settings.