title: Improvement of maternal health services through the use of mobile phones.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse, on the basis of the literature, the potential of mobile phones to improve maternal health services in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Wide search for scientific and grey literature using various terms linked to: maternal health, mobile telecommunication and LMIC. Applications requiring an internet connection were excluded as this is not widely available in LMIC yet.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Few projects exist in this field and little evidence is available as yet on the impact of mobile phones on the quality of maternal health services. Projects focus mainly on the delay in receiving care--that is in recognizing the need and making the decision to seek care--and the delay in arriving at the health facility. This is achieved by connecting lesser trained health workers to specialists and coordination of referrals. Ongoing projects focus on empowering women to seek health care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is broad agreement that access to communication is one of several essential components to improve maternal health services and hence the use of mobile phones has much potential. However, there is a need for robust evidence on constraints and impacts, especially when financial and human resources will be invested. Concurrently, other ways in which mobile phones can be used to benefit maternal health services need to be further explored, taking into consideration privacy and confidentiality.
authors.affiliation: Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. acnoordam@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A Camielle
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Noordam
authors.forename: Barbara M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Kuepper
authors.forename: Jelle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stekelenburg
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milen
mesh_terms: D040421:Cell Phone; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011287:Prejudice; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration