Experiences With a Postpartum mHealth Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Key Informant Interviews Among Patients, Health Care Providers, and Stakeholders

Abstract

Background Maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States continue to be a worsening public health crisis, with persistent racial disparities among Black women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Innovations in mobile health (mHealth) technology are being developed as a strategy to connect birthing women to their health care providers during the first 6 weeks of the postpartum period. Objective This study aimed to inform a process to evaluate the barriers to mHealth implementation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic by exploring the experiences of mothers and stakeholders who were directly involved in the pilot program. Methods The qualitative design used GoToMeeting (GoTo) individual interviews of 13 mothers and 7 stakeholders at a suburban teaching hospital in New Jersey. Mothers were aged ≥18 years, able to read and write in English or Spanish, had a vaginal or cesarean birth at >20 weeks of estimated gestational age, and were admitted for delivery at the hospital with at least a 24-hour postpartum stay. Stakeholders were part of the hospital network’s obstetrics collaborative subcommittee comprising administrators, physicians, registered nurses, and informatics. Responses were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for emerging themes. The socioecological framework provided a holistic lens for analyzing the multilevel influences on individual experiences. Results A total of 3 major themes were identified: mothers experienced barriers from personal situations at home and with services in the hospital and community, which were intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic; the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted hospital services, priorities, and individual staff; and mothers and stakeholders had positive experiences and perceptions of the mHealth intervention. Conclusions The use and reach of the mHealth intervention were negatively influenced by interrelated factors operating at multiple levels. The system-wide and multilevel impact of the pandemic was reflected in participants’ responses, providing evidence for the need to re-evaluate mHealth implementation with more adaptable systems and structures in place using a socioecological framework.

Strategies to improve postpartum engagement in healthcare after high-risk conditions diagnosed in pregnancy: a narrative review

“…education, reminder system Pilot mHealth programme (New Jersey, U.S.): text-based two-way messaging system for 6 weeks postpartum with daily six-item questionnaire. ‘Yes’ responses triggered telephone follow-up by provider [ 32 ] OGTT oral glucose tolerance test, U.S. United States …”

“…More recently, the use of technology has allowed the opportunity to expand strategies beyond reminder-based messaging alone, for example to incorporate remote blood pressure monitoring [ 35 ], and education delivery [ 32 ]. Use of technology within the postpartum setting to specifically increase attendance rates has yet to be explored definitively particularly in high-income settings.…”

“…Use of technology within the postpartum setting to specifically increase attendance rates has yet to be explored definitively particularly in high-income settings. Preliminary findings from a series of qualitative interviews for people who received text-based messaging from their postpartum healthcare provider indicated that this approach was viewed positively by participants [ 32 ].…”

Mothers’ experiences with mHealth intervention for postnatal care utilisation in Nigeria: a qualitative study

“…Studies have reported the experiences of women in developed countries regarding mHealth intervention targeted at postnatal care [16,17]. However, while there has been a number of mHealth related studies in LMIC [18][19][20], there is paucity of data on the experiences of the end-users.…”

Kelompok Online Cegah Depresi Ibu Paska Lahir “Klepon Gurih”

“…Hasil penelitian menyebutkan ada satu dari sembilan ibu paska lahir yang mengalami depresi postpartum (Shorey et al, 2018). Penyebab munculnya depresi postpartum diakibakan banyak hal seperti adanya kecemasan, ketidakberdayaan, peristiwa masa lalu, masalah kesehatan bayi, dan pengetahuan yang kurang (Beerli et al, 2022;Sadural et al, 2022;Slomian et al, 2017). Perkembangan teknologi informasi yang semakin berkembang pesat terutama di bidang medis melahirkan konsep inovatif dalam diagnosis dan penanganan teknis pasien, seperti telemedicine.…”