The medical-organizational problems of preeclampsia: leveraging digital health innovations to reduce maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract
Introduction. Preeclampsia remains a leading cause of maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, where systemic barriers like limited healthcare access and delayed diagnosis exacerbate its toll. This paper investigates how digital health innovations — mobile health, telemonitoring, artificial intelligence, and community-based digital education — can mitigate these challenges. Purpose — based on the persistent public health crisis of preeclampsia-related maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, a region bearing 70% of the global burden, the aim of our study is to comprehensively assess the prevalence of preeclampsia in sub-Saharan Africa and the effectiveness of digital healthcare in reducing maternal mortality. Materials and methods — a systematic review of 35 studies from 2020–2025, were assessed on the prevalence of preeclampsia, its contribution to maternal mortality, and the efficacy of digital interventions in low-resource settings. Findings and conclusion — these show mobile Health increases preeclampsia knowledge by up to 179%, telemonitoring cuts admissions by 20%, and AI enhances risk prediction. However, gaps in literacy, mobile access (45% rural ownership), and infrastructure (60% of facilities lack power) limit scalability. Therefore, participatory design of inclusive tools and national investment in digital infrastructure are recommended.
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