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Supplementation of face-to-face verbal counseling with written information improved knowledge of long-term problems and knowledge of numerical outcome data, and it also decreased anxiety in women expecting a premature delivery.

Half of all premature births in the United States have preterm birth associated risk factors. • Prematurity education is currently offered to parents upon hospitalization for preterm birth. • Lack of prematurity education before the birth hospitalization leaves parents unprepared. • Smartphone-based prenatal prematurity education benefited parents at-risk for preterm birth. • In the majority of participants, the smartphone-based prenatal prematurity education did not increase parental anxiety.

Antenatal parental counseling for premature delivery is a widely practiced intervention with substantial system-based variability in execution. Interventions and strategies known to improve overall counseling effectiveness are not commonly utilized. We speculate that guidelines and tool-kits supported by Pediatric and Obstetric professional organizations may help improve system-based practices.

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