Systematic Review of the Effect of Technology-Mediated Education Intervention on Maternal Outcomes in the First Year After Birth

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize the findings on the effect of technology-mediated education intervention in the first year after birth on maternal health outcomes and to evaluate interventions for participant perspectives and health equity.

Data sources: We conducted a systematic review of the literature using the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL for articles published between 2010 and 2020. The search strategy was developed by a health sciences librarian.

Study selection: We included articles if the following criteria were met: they reported studies conducted in the United States or a resource-similar nation on the evaluation of a technology-mediated education intervention within the first year after birth and they included the assessment of at least one maternal health outcome.

Data extraction: The lead author extracted data from the full-text articles and entered them into Microsoft Excel. We assessed the quality and risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for examining the potential risk of bias.

Data synthesis: We identified 21 articles that met the inclusion criteria. Videos were the most commonly reported technology-mediated education intervention, followed by text messages, phone calls, and websites. Maternal health outcomes addressed in the included articles were mental health, weight loss, breastfeeding, general postpartum education, perineal care, and substance use. Technology-mediated education interventions positively affected mental health, weight loss, and breastfeeding outcomes.

Conclusion: The current evidence suggests that technology-mediated education intervention is beneficial for the physical and mental health outcomes of women during the first year after birth. Future work may benefit from more attention to health equity and design in collaboration with women to gain a better understanding of the information needs and desired technology features.

Keywords: educational technology; health equity; maternal health; mobile health; patient education; patient preferences; postpartum.