Managing maternity: Moving care, not patients, using artificial intelligence (AI), internet-of-things (IOT) and point-of-care testing (POCT) devices.
Authors
Affiliations (23)
Affiliations (23)
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, National University Hospital, Singapore.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Centre for Women and Children, National University Health System, Singapore.
- Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Divakars Specialty Hospital, Bengaluru, India.
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, London, UK.
- Centre for Reproductive Immunology and Pregnancy, Surrey, UK.
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London, UK.
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Oxford Digital Health Labs, Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
- Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
- Nestle Institute of Health Sciences, Nestle Research, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, India.
- Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science Ad Dentistry, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
- Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Feto-Maternal Centre, Doha, Qatar.
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
- School of Design, UPES, Dehradun, India.
- Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru.
- Department of Human Anatomy & Medical Physiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Mor Comprehensive Women's Health Care Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Abstract
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare is accelerating and maternity care is at a pivotal moment for the strategic implementation of these technologies. This article explores how AI-assisted women's health innovations, often termed "FemTech," may transform pregnancy care by addressing long-standing disparities: enhancing diagnostic precision and supporting the obstetric workforce. We outline three domains in which AI is poised to drive change: where women are cared for, how they are cared for, and who delivers their care. First, decentralized AI combined with Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices can extend prenatal monitoring into homes, reducing reliance on clinic visits and expanding access for underserved populations. Second, predictive and reinforcement learning algorithms enable personalized, adaptive care across the reproductive continuum, from preconception to postpartum, moving beyond static risk models and uniform treatment approaches. Third, AI has the potential to augment the maternity workforce by offering generative tools for patient engagement, clinical decision support and automation of ultrasound imaging, while ensuring clinician oversight remains central. Future adoption will depend on global economic and geopolitical dynamics, with the USA and China currently leading in patents, publications, and model development. Equitable integration will require explainable AI, transparent validation, multinational benchmark datasets, and robust governance on safety and consent. Ultimately, AI-powered technologies should complement, not replace human expertise, embedding digital innovation within a model of maternity care that preserves empathy and clinical judgment.