Background

Maternal healthcare is a critical component of public health, directly influencing maternal and neonatal outcomes. Access to quality maternal care remains challenging in many rural, remote, and underserved regions. Telehealth has emerged as a transformative healthcare delivery model, enabling remote consultations, monitoring, education, and follow-up care for pregnant women. The integration of telehealth into maternal healthcare has gained significant momentum, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

To evaluate the role of telehealth in maternal healthcare and assess its impact on healthcare accessibility, antenatal care utilization, patient satisfaction, and pregnancy outcomes.

Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted among 700 pregnant women receiving antenatal and postnatal care services. Participants were divided into telehealth-assisted care and conventional care groups. Data on healthcare utilization, maternal outcomes, patient satisfaction, and pregnancy complications were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression.

Results

Women receiving telehealth-assisted care demonstrated significantly higher antenatal visit compliance (89.4% vs. 71.2%), improved patient satisfaction (91.6% vs. 74.8%), and earlier identification of pregnancy complications. Telehealth reduced travel costs, improved healthcare accessibility, and enhanced communication between patients and healthcare providers. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were comparable or improved in the telehealth group.

Conclusion

Telehealth significantly enhances maternal healthcare delivery by improving accessibility, continuity of care, patient engagement, and clinical outcomes. Integrating telehealth into routine maternal healthcare services can help reduce healthcare disparities and improve maternal and neonatal well-being.