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Objective The World Health Organization (WHO) Southeast Asian region, comprising a quarter of the global population, faces significant healthcare challenges influenced by diverse economic and social conditions. The objective of this study is to map the Digital Health Intervention (DHI) functionalities across the nine axes of the healthcare system challenges (HSCs) model; we use WHO's DHIs classification framework and the Health System Challenges model. Our study findings help identify the gaps in the potential of the existing DHIs in addressing health system challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Methods Using SCOPUS, EMBASE and PUBMED databases, a scoping review was conducted to identify the existing DHIs in the Southeast Asia region and map the DHIs with the HSCs related to availability, information, utilization, quality, accountability, efficiency, equity, cost and acceptability. Results Out of 278 studies, 337 DHI functionalities were identified. A majority of the identified DHIs address challenges related to information (35.6%), availability (34.7%) and utilization, while less than 10% of the DHIs address challenges related to quality (8.9%), accountability (5%) and efficiency (3.9%) in the health system. Conclusion Most of the existing DHIs in SEA region address challenges related to availability of services and lack of information, while they fall short in addressing challenges related to quality of services, efficiency, and accountability. Acknowledging the inter-linkages across the health system challenges, this gap identification may well guide future investments and planning in DHIs.

Background: Universal access to maternal new-born and child healthcare services (MNCH) is detrimental for attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) three pertaining to promotion of health at all ages. Incentivization in the form of cash, vouchers, and goods have been used as part of strategies to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes around the world. However, there exists uncertainties regarding the effectiveness of various incentive-based programmes targeted for pregnant mothers in low- and middle-income countries during their antenatal period. Methods: We will search six electronic databases, namely the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase in addition to Google Scholar. Manual searching of the reference lists of included studies will also be done. The reporting of this protocol will follow the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement [29]. Only interventional studies that follow randomized, quasi randomized, and cluster randomized controlled study designs will be included. A three-stage screening process will be adopted to select articles. Risk of bias for the included studies will be assessed using the tools and criteria specified in the Cochrane handbook. In addition, the GRADE approach will be used to assess the quality of evidence for the maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Conclusion: This review of trials is essential to inform the effectiveness of incentive-based programmes targeted for pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries. It will help the policy makers to utilise the resources more effectively and to integrate the evidence based public health initiatives into the health system. This can also help build the continuum of care financial packages for all pregnant women.

Background Universal access to maternal, newborn, and child healthcare is essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3, but the effectiveness of various incentive-based programs for pregnant mothers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains uncertain. Objective of this systematic review was to determine if incentive-based interventions influenced maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Methods We conducted a search in various databases from inception. All incentive-based interventional studies conducted on pregnant women in LMICs were included. Evidence from the included trials was synthesized using risk ratios (RRs) to compare the outcomes between groups receiving incentives and not receiving incentives. The meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects model. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool and reviewed the collected data to determine its suitability for meta-analysis. This study is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021247681). Results Of the 3,897 records that were identified, 11 met eligibility criteria, all of which exhibited varying degrees of risk of bias, ranging from high to some concerns. Analysis of maternal outcomes across studies revealed no significant differences in the likelihood of delivering at a healthcare facility (RR 1.13, 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.47) and in frequency of prenatal care (RR 0.99, 95% CI: 0.88 to 1.12) between intervention and control groups. However, high levels of statistical heterogeneity were observed for both outcomes indicating variability among study results. Similarly, analysis of tetanus vaccine coverage showed no significant difference between groups (RR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.92 to 1.08), with moderate statistical heterogeneity observed. Conclusion The maternal and neonatal outcomes examined in this review did not have any significant differences in intervention group when compared to the control group. The interventions to address maternal health concerns need to follow a multifactorial approach. There is a need for extensive primary research studies in the future.

Background : Universal access to maternal new-born and child healthcare services (MNCH) is detrimental for attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) three pertaining to promotion of health at all ages. Incentivization in the form of cash, vouchers, and goods have been used as part of strategies to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes around the world. However, there exists uncertainties regarding the effectiveness of various incentive-based programmes targeted for pregnant mothers in low- and middle-income countries during their antenatal period. Methods: We will search six electronic databases, namely the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase in addition to Google Scholar. Manual searching of the reference lists of included studies will also be done. The reporting of this protocol will follow the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement [29]. Only interventional studies that follow randomized, quasi randomized, and cluster randomized controlled study designs will be included. A three-stage screening process will be adopted to select articles. Risk of bias for the included studies will be assessed using the tools and criteria specified in the Cochrane handbook. In addition, the GRADE approach will be used to assess the quality of evidence for the maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Conclusion: This review of trials is essential to inform the effectiveness of incentive-based programmes targeted for pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries. It will help the policy makers to utilise the resources more effectively and to integrate the evidence based public health initiatives into the health system. This can also help build the continuum of care financial packages for all pregnant women.

Background : Universal access to maternal new-born and child healthcare services (MNCH) is detrimental for attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) three pertaining to promotion of health at all ages. Incentivization in the form of cash, vouchers, and goods have been used as part of strategies to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes around the world. However, there exists uncertainties regarding the effectiveness of various incentive-based programmes targeted for pregnant mothers in low- and middle-income countries during their antenatal period. Methods: We will search six electronic databases, namely the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase in addition to Google Scholar. Manual searching of the reference lists of included studies will also be done. The reporting of this protocol will follow the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement [29]. Only interventional studies that follow randomized, quasi randomized, and cluster randomized controlled study designs will be included. A three-stage screening process will be adopted to select articles. Risk of bias for the included studies will be assessed using the tools and criteria specified in the Cochrane handbook. In addition, the GRADE approach will be used to assess the quality of evidence for the maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Conclusion: This review of trials is essential to inform the effectiveness of incentive-based programmes targeted for pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries. It will help the policy makers to utilise the resources more effectively and to integrate the evidence based public health initiatives into the health system. This can also help build the continuum of care financial packages for all pregnant women.