ICT for Improved Maternal Healthcare in Uganda: A Systematic Literature Review

This paper adapts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to investigate the influence of ICTs on Uganda's maternal health sector development based on the premise that ICTs have supported improvements in maternal health services such as antenatal, pregnancy, and postnatal care. The SLR analysed twenty articles and reports, which were classified using the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis (SALSA) framework and Mendeley referencing tool. Six ICT initiatives in maternal health were identified and evaluated, centred on their developmental contributions. Using a theoretical framework for analysis of ICT-based development initiatives, we categorized explanatory development perceptions about the ICT initiatives. Conceptual categories adopted from the framework include better lives for the poor and improved government services. The categories rationalized inferred contextual literature relating to the developmental contributions of the ICT initiatives. Our findings provide an interpretive understanding of the ICT initiative's significance towards service delivery access and improvement. However, the study was limited by insufficient literature about ICTs in Uganda's maternal health sector. Future studies aim to develop an Artificial intelligence system to support improved maternal healthcare in Uganda and a theoretical framework.