Digital care faces access gaps

Digital tools are moving into maternity care, but the same phone, broadband and language gaps that limit access to clinics can also limit access to digital care. (who.int; healthpolicy-watch.news) Digital maternal care means using phones, messaging apps, telehealth visits and electronic health records to connect patients and clinicians faster than paper files or in-person travel allow. A 2023 scoping review of 141 studies found these tools were being used across maternal and child health for education, follow-up, mental health support and service use, especially in low- and middle-income countries. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) The need is large in both rich and poor countries. The World Health Organization said about 260,000 women died during and after pregnancy and childbirth in 2023, and 92% of those deaths were in low- and lower-middle-income countries. (who.int) In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 817 maternal deaths in 2022, or 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. The rate for Black women was 49.5, compared with 19.0 for white women and 16.9 for Hispanic women. (cdc.gov) Hospitals and health systems are testing tools meant to close those gaps. OhmniLabs says its OhmniCare robot uses high-definition video and autonomous movement so remote clinicians can handle admissions, discharges, patient education and other bedside tasks without complex installation. (ohmnilabs.com) North Carolina has made telehealth expansion an explicit state goal, with the Department of Health and Human Services saying it is working to improve equitable access through affordable broadband, provider support and patient education. The state says that effort is meant to reach rural and urban patients, including people with disability and communication needs. (ncdhhs.gov) But North Carolina’s own review found access did not even out on its own. A Milbank Memorial Fund brief summarizing the state’s evaluation said Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program telehealth use from March 2020 through 2022 still varied by race and ethnicity, with persistent inequities for Black and Hispanic members. (milbank.org) In Kenya, Nyeri County used a simpler tool: a WhatsApp forum linking maternity nurse leaders, public health nurses, specialists and community health teams across county facilities. County documentation says staff post standardized daily data by 9 a.m. and discuss referrals in real time. (maarifa.cog.go.ke) Nyeri says the forum sits inside its Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response system rather than replacing it, and that case discussions are anonymized under Kenya’s Data Protection Act, 2019. The county says the setup uses a low-cost messaging platform as a coordination layer for referrals, accountability and data reporting. (maarifa.cog.go.ke) Electronic health records are being pitched as another layer of prevention. In an April 13, 2026 commentary, Meditech executive Janet Desroche wrote that hospitals are embedding evidence-based guidance and clinical decision support into electronic health record workflows to detect maternal complications earlier and intervene faster. (histalk2.com) The pattern across these projects is straightforward: digital care can shorten distance, speed referrals and standardize records, but it still depends on who has signal, devices, data plans, language support and a system ready to act on the information. (ncdhhs.gov; milbank.org; maarifa.cog.go.ke)