SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Glob. Women’s Health
Sec. Maternal Health
Mapping innovations in partograph technologies: A scoping review 2000 to 2025
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Background: Digital technologies like the electronic partograph have revolutionized the documentation of progress of labour and birth. The electronic partograph, aims to improve documentation of the progress of intrapartum by addressing challenges in partograph use. It provides real-time decision support, enhances data entry, and increases access and coordination of information for informed decision making. Further research is needed to map innovations in partograph technologies embedded in data documentation and monitoring labour progress. Objective: This scoping review aimed to map innovations in partograph technologies based on studies published between 2000 and 2025. Methods: The scoping review followed Arksey and O'Malley's five-step framework and the population, concepts, and contexts (PCC) model. A comprehensive search was conducted across seven databases using refined keywords. The data were extracted, charted, synthesised, and summarized. Result: A total of 13 original articles were included in this review where partograph based studies with 8655 women in labour used electronic or digital paperless partograph, assessing their effectiveness and user-friendliness compared to WHO/modified WHO partograph. This scoping review highlights that a digital partograph, especially mobile apps and digital paperless versions, are practical tools for improving labour monitoring worldwide. 2 Conclusion: This scoping review found that digital paperless and novel partograph designs show promise for improving labour monitoring, particularly in resource-limited settings. The adoption of these tools can streamline documentation, enhance communication among healthcare providers, and facilitate timely interventions. The scoping review recommends integrating ultrasound-based digital tools into labour monitoring for improved diagnostic accuracy and patient comfort.
Keywords: Cervix, digital vaginal examination, E-partograph, labour progress, mobile-partograph digital paperless partograph, Digital partograph
Received: 25 Apr 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Demissie, Kaura and Schreve. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dereje Bayissa Demissie, derebayu@gmail.com
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.