Role of digital health interventions in strengthening human resources for primary healthcare systems in India: A systematic review.

Inlow- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India, Human Resources for Health (HRH) constitute the backbone of a health system, providing critical services to ensure equitable, accessible, and high-quality healthcare for all. However, they are often overburdened, which hinders their performance and impact. The digital health interventions can appear as a boon to assist and enhance the performance of HRH, thereby delivering better healthcare services. To evaluate the impact and the effectiveness of digital health interventions on healthcare workforce capacity building in primary health care settings in India. A systematic review of published research was conducted as per the PRISMA guidelines. Online databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) were explored to identify studies written in English from January 2015 to March 2025 that discuss digital health interventions within Primary Healthcare settings or involve human resources in those settings in the Indian context. The review included all forms of messaging, voice calls, and interactive voice responses as interventions. A total of 22 studies were included (cRCTs: 6; RCTs: 5; interventional: 4; Quasi-experimental: 3; pre-post: 3; pseudo-RCT: 1). In terms of health conditions, the most studied area was Maternal and Child Health, addressed in 9 studies. The studies reported positive outcomes resulting from mobile health interventions. The digital health interventions were found to strengthen adherence to clinical protocols, improve maternal education, and enhance treatment outcomes, reinforcing their potential role in shaping future public health strategies.