Journal of Reproductive Health, Gender, and HIV in Africa | 13 June 2003
A Systematic Review of Mobile Health Interventions for Pre-ART Retention in Southern Africa: Evaluating Appointment and Medication Reminders in Maputo, 2003
A, n, a, M, a, c, a, m, o, ,, C, é, l, i, a, d, o, s, S, a, n, t, o, s
Abstract
Retention in care prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation remains a critical challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, with high rates of pre-ART loss to follow-up undermining the HIV care continuum. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions, including appointment and medication reminders, are increasingly deployed in Southern Africa to improve engagement, but their specific impact on pre-ART retention requires systematic evaluation. This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence on the impact of mobile app-based appointment and medication reminder systems on pre-ART retention among newly diagnosed individuals in Maputo City, Mozambique. Its objective was to evaluate the efficacy of such interventions in improving clinic attendance and adherence to pre-treatment protocols. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted across major electronic databases. Studies were included if they evaluated mHealth reminder interventions targeting pre-ART populations in Southern Africa, with a specific focus on Maputo. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers using standardised tools. The search yielded a limited number of studies meeting the inclusion criteria. No studies were identified that specifically evaluated a mobile app-based intervention for pre-ART retention in Maputo. Consequently, no empirical results on the impact of the specified intervention are available. The review identified a significant evidence gap for this specific intervention type and setting. There is a notable absence of peer-reviewed evidence on the impact of dedicated mobile app-based reminder systems on pre-ART retention in Maputo. This underscores a critical gap in the literature, despite the recognised potential of mHealth strategies in the region. Future primary research should prioritise robust, context-specific evaluations of mHealth applications for pre-ART engagement in Southern Africa. Programme planners should consider piloting such interventions with embedded rigorous evaluation to generate actionable evidence for scale-up. mHealth, HIV, pre-ART retention, loss to follow-up, Southern Africa, Mozambique, systematic review This review systematically maps the existing evidence and identifies a specific, critical gap regarding mobile app-based interventions for pre-ART retention in Maputo. It provides a clear rationale and direction for future primary research and informed programme development in this field.