PURPOSE:
To evaluate the efficiency of Meuhedet’s innovative phone-based maternity telehealth model and identify factors associated with its effectiveness. This model, developed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly utilized since, aims to improve access to care, enhance maternal/fetal health outcomes, and relieve pressure on the health system by providing timely, remote midwifery support alongside standard in-person perinatal services.

DISCUSSION:
The service offers telephone and chat consultations by trained midwife-agents, available daily from 08:00 to 24:00. Integrated access to open-source medical records ensures continuity and safety of care, while remote physician coordination enhances the model’s scope. The model supports women with a wide range of perinatal and neonatal concerns such as fetal movement, pain, breastfeeding and emergent symptoms. By handling queries remotely, the model prevents unnecessary hospital visits and optimizes midwives’ time and patient reach.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
Between February 2024 and January 2025, 21,743 pregnant women (average age 30.4 years) used the service. Monthly averages included 10,260 calls and 2,040 chats. Response rates were 94% for calls and 74% for chats. The average wait time was 77 seconds, with an average consultation duration of 6.5 minutes. Data collected included resolution rates (by phone), call-back rates, physician referrals, emergency referrals, and health concerns such as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal or back pain, bleeding, reduced fetal movement, and newborn/breastfeeding support.

KEY MESSAGE:
A tele-midwifery call centre model can safely and efficiently expand access to perinatal care. Fast, qualified responses by midwives contribute to better maternal, fetal and newborn outcomes by addressing concerns early and potentially reducing hospital visits, fear of childbirth (FOC), interventions/unnecessary cesarean deliveries and short- and long-term risk factors that could impact future pregnancies. This model demonstrates a scalable, effective approach to improving care access and quality within strained or overburdened healthcare systems. Poster session 1 (Group A)