Leveraging Interactive Text Messaging to Monitor and Support Maternal Health in Kenya

This study uses Mobile WACh, a human-computer hybrid system that enables two-way SMS communication and patient tracking, to provide consistent support to women and their infants during the peripartum period and 6 weeks into the baby's life. Women will receive automated SMS messages targeting the appropriate peripartum period and will have the capability to respond and spontaneously message a nurse based at the clinic. During pregnancy, automated SMS will be delivered weekly. Two weeks prior to the participant's estimated due date (EDD), daily messaging will begin, and will continue for two weeks after delivery is ascertained. Thereafter, SMS will be delivered every other day. Women who experience pregnancy or infant loss will be enrolled into an infant loss track. The NLP model will be applied to incoming participant messages. Those flagged as urgent by the model will be flagged within the SMS system, allowing study nurses to triage and appropriately respond to those messages.