From better births to better outcomes: How technology enhances patient journeys

Maternity care is evolving, and technology is crucial in supporting patients and healthcare professionals. From reducing administrative workloads to enhancing patient education, digital solutions are transforming how maternity wards operate.

By streamlining communication and improving access to essential resources, innovative tools like SPARK Fusion® are helping create better births and outcomes for mothers and newborns alike.

This blog explores how technology enhances maternity care and how SPARK Fusion® supports staff and patients throughout pregnancy to postnatal care.

The challenges in modern maternity care

Maternity professionals face increasing pressure to provide high-quality care while managing administrative duties and ensuring clear patient communication. Some of the most common challenges include:

Administrative burdens: Midwives and maternity nurses spend significant time on documentation, reducing time available for direct patient care.

Gaps in patient education: Expectant and new mothers often lack access to reliable, consistent information about pregnancy and postnatal care.

Communication inefficiencies: Delays in patient-staff interactions can lead to frustration and reduced quality of care.

Limited access to support resources: Maternity wards often struggle to provide tailored educational and well-being tools to patients. When applied effectively, technology can help address these challenges and create a smoother, more patient-centric maternity experience.

The NHS long-term plan outlines the importance of digital innovation in maternity services to enhance maternal health outcomes.

How SPARK Fusion® supports better births

SPARK Fusion® is designed to empower maternity professionals and enhance patient care through various digital solutions. Here are some key ways it improves the patient journey:

1. Reducing administrative burdens for maternity staff

Maternity professionals spend a significant portion of their time on manual documentation, managing patient requests and coordinating services. SPARK Fusion® helps by:

• Digitising patient records and requests, reducing paperwork and freeing more time for direct patient interactions.
• Automating service requests, such as meal orders and pain relief, streamlining workflow for busy maternity wards.
• Enhancing communication between staff and patients, ensuring timely responses to patient needs.

Maternity teams can dedicate more time to providing hands-on, compassionate care by alleviating administrative strain. Studies have shown that reduced administrative burden improves staff wellbeing and increases efficiency in hospital settings.

2. Improving access to patient education

Educating mothers before, during and after childbirth is crucial for positive health outcomes. SPARK Fusion® provides easy access to:

• Bespoke maternity-specific educational content, including videos and articles covering pregnancy, labour and postnatal care.
• Interactive learning tools, helping mothers better understand birthing options, breastfeeding techniques and recovery guidelines.
• Digital birth plans and checklists, ensuring expectant mothers feel more in control of their maternity journey.

The World Health Organization also supports this, stating access to accurate maternity education has been linked to lower rates of complications and better mental health outcomes for new mothers.

3. Enhancing communication and patient engagement

Timely communication is vital in maternity care. SPARK Fusion® provides tools that:

• Enable real-time messaging between patients and maternity staff, reducing wait times and improving responsiveness.
• Allow digital service requests, so patients can easily ask for assistance, pain relief or meal adjustments without delay.
• Facilitate feedback and engagement, ensuring maternity wards can continuously improve based on patient insights.

Research has also shown that effective communication in maternity care can improve maternal satisfaction and reduce stress during childbirth.

The impact of technology on maternal health outcomes

Digital solutions are already proving their value in maternity care, with studies showing that technology-enhanced healthcare leads to improved maternal and neonatal outcomes. For example, research published in The Lancet highlights how digital tools contribute to better prenatal monitoring, reducing complications and improving patient satisfaction.

Similarly, NHS initiatives such as the Better Births report emphasise the importance of personalised, technology-driven care models to improve maternity services.

A study by the Journal of Medical Internet Research in Canada also found mobile health applications significantly increase maternal engagement in prenatal care, leading to better birth outcomes.

SPARK Fusion® aligns with these findings by offering a patient-centred approach to maternity care, reducing inefficiencies and providing intuitive digital tools to support professionals and new mothers.

A vision for the future of maternity care

As maternity wards embrace digital transformation, the future of maternity care looks promising. By integrating tools like SPARK Fusion®, hospitals can:

• Reduce non-clinical workloads for staff, improving efficiency and job satisfaction.
• Empower mothers with accessible, reliable health information.
• Foster better communication between patients and caregivers, enhancing overall maternity experiences.

The shift towards digital healthcare isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about providing compassionate, high-quality care that leads to better births and outcomes. 

The World Health Organization also emphasises that digital health innovations are key to achieving universal health coverage for maternal care. So, now is the time for maternity wards and Trusts to start thinking about how digital transformation can accelerate better outcomes for patients and staff, building towards a brighter future.

Download our maternity guide

Want to learn more about how SPARK Fusion® is transforming maternity care? 

Download our free guide, Empowering maternity wards: Overcoming challenges with digital solutions, to explore practical insights and real-world applications.