Performance de la consultation prénatale numérique dans la lutte contre les décès maternels et néonatals dans la ville de Kenge, Province du Kwango en République Démocratique du Congo.

Abstract

Amid the complexities of African public health, maternal and neonatal mortality remains a silent tragedy. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the figures speak volumes: 473 mothers die for every 100,000 live births, and 27 out of every 1,000 newborns do not survive their first days. Confronted with this alarming reality, digital prenatal consultation (DPC), based on mobile technologies, emerges as a beacon of hope offering more accessible, continuous, and context-sensitive care. In the heart of Kwango, within the Kenge Health Zone, a cross-sectional study was conducted involving 403 women who had experienced DPC. Through structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, researchers explored perceptions and outcomes linked to this innovation, analyzing the data with SPSS 26.0 to identify significant correlations. Participants’ enthusiasm was unmistakable: 99% adoption, 89.3% smartphone access, and near-unanimous satisfaction. Most women reported tangible improvements in their maternal health and praised the relevance of the recommendations received. However, only 5.7% noted a real reduction in obstetric complications hindered by technical barriers such as unstable internet, high data costs, and limited equipment availability. DPC attracts, informs, and reassures, but does not yet heal. Its preventive potential is evident, yet its effectiveness hinges on seamless integration with physical health services, enhanced digital infrastructure, and sustained community engagement. In Kenge, DPC sketches the contours of safer motherhood. To transform this promise into lasting change, innovation must be paired with training, political integration, and collective mobilization.