Global AI Impact Commons
PROMPTS: AI-Enabled, Two-Way Messaging to Support Maternal and Newborn Health
Kenya
Healthcare
Implementing Organisation
Jacaranda Health
Kenya, Nairobi, Nairobi
Implementing Point of Contact
Katherine Jennings
Global Communications and Development Specialist
Contributor of the Impact Story
Carnegie India
Year of implementation
2023
Problem statement
Maternal and newborn mortality in low- and middle-income countries remains unacceptably high, largely due to delays in care-seeking, limited access to timely and reliable health information, and capacity constraints within public health systems. Many pregnant and postpartum women do not receive guidance on pregnancy danger signs, routine care, or when and where to seek services. As a result, critical opportunities for prevention and early intervention are often missed. This use case addresses these gaps by leveraging artificial intelligence to enable two-way, personalized maternal health support over basic mobile phones. The approach supports women to seek care at the right time and place, identifies and escalates high-risk cases, and generates actionable insights for government health systems, improving both individual health behaviors and system-level decision-making.
Impact story details
Jacaranda Health is a nonprofit healthcare organization focused on improving maternal and newborn health outcomes through system-level, government-integrated interventions.
AI Technology Used
Key Outcomes
Access
Reach, Inclusion
Equity, Accuracy
Quality Improvement, User Experience
Satisfaction, Knowledge
Skills Impact
Narrative Outcome
Maternal and newborn mortality rates remain high in low and middle-income countries, often due to delays and limited access to reliable health information. PROMPTS uses AI-enabled two-way messaging to provide pregnant and postpartum women with guidance on danger signs, routine care, and when to seek services. The platform has reached millions of mothers in Kenya. For health systems with limited counselling capacity, the platform fills a critical gap in patient communication and early intervention.
Impact Metrics
Number of mothers reached with AI-enabled maternal health support
Baseline Value
Limited reach through facility-based counseling only Number of users
Post-Implementation
PROMPTS reached 3.5 million mothers cumulatively and approximately 700,000 mothers in Kenya annually Number of users
Percentage of mothers attending four or more antenatal care visits
Baseline Value
66 %
Post-Implementation
88 %
User satisfaction with AI-enabled support
Baseline Value
NA Percentage of users
Post-Implementation
Over 90% users reported satisfaction Percentage of users
Implementation Context
Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria
Key Partnerships
Ministries of health and sub-national governments, private telecommunications providers and technology partners, NGOs and implementing partners, international funders and development partners
Replicability & Adaptation
1. For replication in new contexts, content must be localized to clinical guidelines, languages, and cultural norms 2. Integration with local health systems and government data platforms is critical for sustainability 3. Partnerships with telecom providers help reduce costs and ensure equitable access
Supporting Materials
* The data presented is self-reported by the respective organisations. Readers should consult the original sources for further details.