Mobile App Design for Community-Based Maternal Health Care in East African Cities: A Scoping Review

Mobile applications are increasingly being used to support maternal health care in community settings across various regions of the world. A comprehensive search strategy was employed using databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies published between and . Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria focusing on mobile app design for maternal health care in East African cities, with a particular emphasis on Uganda. The findings indicate that there is variability in the functionality of these apps, with some designs incorporating features related to appointment scheduling and patient education materials, while others focus more on real-time monitoring and support from healthcare providers. While many mobile apps have been developed for maternal health care, the level of integration between app design and actual community-based services varies significantly. This review highlights areas where improvements can be made to enhance user experience and effectiveness. Future research should focus on developing a more standardised set of guidelines for mobile app designers working in this domain, with an emphasis on ensuring that apps are not only functional but also aligned with the specific needs and resources available within community-based healthcare settings in East African cities. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.