Explaining the Research-to-Policy-to-Implementation Gap in Digital Transformation for Maternal and Newborn Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review and Policy Document Analysis

Project description Maternal and newborn health outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa remain disproportionately poor despite growing investment in digital health and broader digital transformation. Digital innovations such as mobile health applications, targeted client communication, electronic health records, and clinical decision support tools are frequently piloted across the region, yet many initiatives do not progress from research and demonstration to institutionalised policy adoption and sustained implementation at scale. This project investigates the underlying determinants of this persistent research to policy to implementation gap in digital transformation for maternal and newborn health in Sub-Saharan Africa. We will conduct a PRISMA-ScR guided scoping review of peer reviewed literature, complemented by a structured policy document analysis. The scoping review will map and characterise digital transformation interventions relevant to pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium across Sub-Saharan Africa. The policy document analysis will examine how national and subnational policy content, decision processes, and political economy factors enable or constrain translation of evidence into implementable, financed, and governed digital health approaches. Objectives 1. Map and characterise the evidence base on digital transformation interventions and digital health system strengthening for maternal and newborn health in Sub-Saharan Africa, including intervention types, implementation stage or maturity, settings, and reported outcomes or performance indicators. 2. Explain determinants of the research to policy to implementation gap by synthesising peer reviewed evidence and analysing relevant policy and strategy documents, using the Walt and Gilson health policy triangle to structure policy dynamics and CFIR 2.0 to structure implementation determinants. 3. Identify actionable policy, governance, and implementation levers to improve institutionalisation, scale, and sustainability of digital transformation for maternal and newborn health in Sub-Saharan Africa, with emphasis on knowledge translation, financing and accountability, interoperability and data governance, and implementation support within resource constrained health systems. Analytical approach The review will apply a hybrid coding architecture. The Walt and Gilson policy triangle will provide the organising structure for policy domains (actors, process, context, content). CFIR 2.0 will be nested to analyse implementation determinants (innovation, outer setting, inner setting, individuals, implementation process). Findings will be synthesised as a structured explanation of staged frictions from evidence generation and translation, to policy formulation and adoption, to operational guidance, financing, governance, capacity, and learning loops. Expected outcomes This project will produce: (1) an evidence map of digital transformation approaches for maternal and newborn health in Sub-Saharan Africa and their implementation maturity, (2) a framework informed synthesis explaining where and why translation breaks down across the research policy implementation pathway, and (3) a set of actionable recommendations for policymakers, implementers, and funders to strengthen institutionalisation, interoperability, governance, and sustainability of digital health and data systems for maternal and newborn health.