Enhancing Uptake of Maternal Health Services Using an Electronic Community Health Information System in Muhoroni Sub-County of Kisumu County, Kenya DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajhs.v38i2.8

Abstract

Background: Maternal health, encompassing pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum, is a key indicator of public health but remains a challenge in low- and middle-income countries due to limited skilled care, poor nutrition, and low service uptake. Maternal health services can reach many women, yet limited studies exist on the impact of digitisation on maternal health outcomes. This study assessed the utilisation of an electronic community health information system (eCHIS) in enhancing the adoption of maternal health services in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kisumu County, Kenya.

Methodology: This study utilised a cross-sectional descriptive design, using a structured questionnaire to collect quantitative data from 398 lactating mothers with children younger than six months. Participants were selected by simple random sampling from a sampling frame drawn from eCHIS data across villages in Muhoroni Sub-County. Analysis was performed using SPSS, with linear regression applied to examine variable relationships.

Results: eCHIS use showed a positive, significant relationship with maternal health service adoption (p = 0.001). The R² of 0.656 indicated eCHIS explained 65.6% of the variation, with the remaining 34.4% variance linked to confounders such as cultural beliefs, spousal support, accessibility, and power outages. The Smart Health App, used by Community Health Promoters (CHPs), improved service access and utilisation by 18.4%.

Conclusion: The findings highlighted eCHIS as a transformative tool in improving maternal health outcomes, particularly in marginalised areas. The adoption of eCHIS by CHPs represents a critical step in Kenya's efforts to reduce maternal complications and advance maternal health equity.

Recommendation: The study recommended that the Department of Health strengthen monitoring of eCHIS to improve maternal health service delivery, implement educational programs to raise community awareness and informed decision-making, and enhance health facility services to encourage care-seeking and meet the rising demand created by eCHIS.