Postpartum Follow-Up Card for Enhancing Postpartum Care

No longer recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Victoria Greenberg, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Female

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Medstar Health Research Institute

Disqualifiers: Non-Medstar care

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests whether personalized follow-up cards can help new moms complete essential postpartum health tasks, such as blood pressure checks or glucose tests, after giving birth. The cards will list recommended appointments tailored to each mom's health needs. Participants will receive either a personalized postpartum follow-up card or the standard education typically provided at hospital discharge. The trial seeks new moms who can read English or Spanish, delivered in the last two days, and plan to continue their care within the Medstar system. As an unphased trial, this study offers new moms the chance to contribute to innovative postpartum care solutions.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that this postpartum follow-up card is safe for enhancing postpartum care?

In a previous study, researchers explored the effectiveness of postpartum follow-up cards but did not find specific data on their safety or effectiveness. This trial aims to determine if giving new mothers a personalized card after childbirth encourages attendance at important health check-ups.

The card provides useful information and involves no medication or medical procedures, making it generally safe for everyone. No reports of side effects or risks have emerged from using the card itself. While the card's effectiveness is still under study, its safety is not a concern. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the postpartum follow-up card because it offers a personalized approach to postpartum care, which is different from the usual standard education provided before discharge. This card provides tailored recommendations based on an individual's specific health conditions during pregnancy, ensuring that new mothers receive relevant and timely information for their unique needs. By focusing on personalized follow-up, the card aims to enhance maternal health outcomes postpartum, potentially leading to better long-term health for both mothers and their babies.

What evidence suggests that the Postpartum follow up card is effective for enhancing postpartum care?

Research shows that many new mothers miss their postpartum check-ups, which are crucial for their health. In this trial, one group of participants will receive a personalized postpartum follow-up card to remind new mothers about key health tasks after childbirth. Although specific data on the effectiveness of these cards is not yet available, similar personalized reminders in other health areas have successfully improved follow-up and care. Ensuring new mothers complete vital health checks, such as monitoring blood pressure and glucose levels, can help identify potential problems early. These follow-up tasks are essential because many health issues can develop after childbirth. ^{1 2 5 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals who are at least 18 years old, can consent for themselves, and can read English or Spanish. They must have delivered a baby via vaginal delivery or c-section within the past 48 hours at a Medstar facility and plan to continue their care within the same system.

Inclusion Criteria

I gave birth in the last 48 hours.

I can read English or Spanish.

Able to consent for themselves

Exclusion Criteria

Received antepartum care at a facility outside of the Medstar system or plans to continue care with a facility outside of the Medstar system

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive either a personalized postpartum health card or standard education at discharge

At discharge

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for completion of postpartum health-related tasks such as blood pressure check, glucose tolerance test, and cervical cancer screening

12 months

Multiple visits as per postpartum follow-up schedule

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Control
• Postpartum follow up card

Trial Overview The study tests if personalized postpartum follow-up cards given at discharge improve completion of health tasks like blood pressure checks and glucose tolerance tests. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either this card with tailored appointments or standard education provided upon discharge.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Follow up cards Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Subjects will receive a personalized postpartum health card with recommendations for follow up based on their comorbid conditions in pregnancy. They will receive education about these comorbid conditions when they receive their cards.

Group II: Standard education Placebo Group 1 Intervention

Subjects will receive standard postpartum education as it is routinely performed by nurses prior to discharge.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Medstar Health Research Institute

Lead Sponsor

Trials

202

Recruited

187,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

This study introduces a nurse practitioner-led postpartum intervention clinic aimed at women with severe pregnancy complications, providing comprehensive assessments and personalized care to address their increased cardiovascular risk.

The clinic will follow up with patients at 6 months, 18 months, and 5 years postpartum, collecting data to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in improving cardiovascular health in a socioeconomically disadvantaged population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Protocol for Nurse-Practitioner Led Cardiovascular Follow-Up After Pregnancy Complications in a Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Population. Aldridge, E., Verburg, PE., Sierp, S., et al.[2020]

Over half of the 25,692 women studied (50.5%) did not attend their postpartum care visit, indicating a significant gap in postpartum healthcare utilization.

Factors such as being a racial/ethnic minority and receiving care from specific healthcare facilities increased the likelihood of attending postpartum visits, while smoking and lack of prenatal care decreased attendance, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve access for high-risk groups.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Correlates of Postpartum Visits Among Medicaid Recipients: An Analysis Using Claims Data from a Managed Care Organization. Masho, SW., Cha, S., Karjane, N., et al.[2018]

The Postpartum Care Center, established in 1991, offers an innovative and cost-effective alternative to traditional home visits for postpartum care, providing early assessment and support for mothers and infants at one-third the cost.

The program demonstrates positive outcomes in postpartum support, addressing the need for effective follow-up care as maternity stays become shorter and healthcare costs rise.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Postpartum care center: follow-up care in a hospital-based clinic. Keppler, AB.[2019]

A study of 587 postpartum patients identified five key factors that increase the risk of not attending the 6-week postpartum visit, including being on Medicaid, starting prenatal care late, and being under 24 years old.

The developed risk scoring system effectively predicts nonadherence to the 6WPP, allowing healthcare providers to target interventions for at-risk patients, with significant predictive power demonstrated in both test and validation groups.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development of a Clinical Risk Assessment Tool for 6-Week Postpartum Visit Nonadherence. Qafiti, F., Kaur, S., Bahado-Singh, R.[2019]

A study involving 52 postpartum nurses from six hospitals revealed that while nurses do inform women about warning signs of postpartum complications, this education is often insufficient and primarily occurs on the day of discharge.

The findings suggest a need for improved educational strategies and consistency among nurses in teaching all women about postpartum warning signs, indicating that better resources and guidance are necessary for effective communication.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Discharge Education on Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Provided by Nurses to Women in the Postpartum Period. Suplee, PD., Kleppel, L., Bingham, D.[2018]

The Postpartum Care Center, established in 1991, provides an innovative outpatient follow-up model that effectively addresses the needs of mothers and infants after shortened maternity stays.

This clinic model is cost-effective, allowing nurses to see two to three times more families in a day compared to home visits, while also benefiting from close access to essential support services like laboratory and pharmacy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Postpartum follow-up care in a hospital-based clinic: an update on an expanded program. Keppler, AB., Roudebush, JL.[2019]

Current postnatal care practices in hospitals often rely on rigid clinical pathways that do not accommodate individualized care for new mothers.

The paper advocates for the development of a new clinical pathway that incorporates best practices while being more woman-friendly and allowing for personalized care instead of following strict routines.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Postnatal care in hospitals: ritual, routine or individualized. Gilmour, C., Twining, S.[2019]

The postpartum care model is evolving from a single visit to a comprehensive continuum of care aimed at improving long-term health outcomes for mothers, addressing rising morbidity and mortality rates.

To support this new model, specific checklists have been developed for both uncomplicated and medically complex postpartum patients, ensuring that essential health needs and future risks are systematically addressed during follow-up visits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Special Statement: Postpartum visit checklists for normal pregnancy and complicated pregnancy. Morgan, J., Bauer, S., Whitsel, A., et al.[2022]

Shorter hospital stays after childbirth have created a greater demand for postpartum home care services, highlighting the need for effective follow-up care.

The article discusses various postpartum home care options, such as telephone support, home visits, and lactation consultations, emphasizing the importance of integrating these services into maternity benefits in the U.S. healthcare system.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Postpartum home care in the United States. Evans, CJ.[2019]

A novel intervention using a postpartum nurse navigator (PPNN) who provided daily text messaging support to 43 women after unplanned cesarean births showed high satisfaction, with 93% of participants rating their experience as outstanding or good.

The majority of participants (95%) expressed a strong interest in receiving similar daily text support for future pregnancies, highlighting the potential for this approach to improve postpartum care and support.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Nurse-Navigated, Postpartum Support Text Messaging Intervention: Satisfaction Among Primiparous Women. Morris, MH., Barton, M., Zane, M., et al.[2023]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12177326/

Opportunities and Challenges to Improve Postpartum Care U.S. maternal mortality rates are two to three times higher than other high-income countries, with most deaths occurring postpartum.

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3071902/

Postpartum Follow-up Rates Before and After the ... The primary outcome was the number of postpartum follow-up visits. Secondary outcomes included breastfeeding, contraceptive use, depression screening and ...

3. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-uterine-cervical-dysplasia-4-2023-9fa54

Postpartum Follow-Up Card for Enhancing Postpartum Care The available research does not provide specific data directly supporting the effectiveness of the Postpartum Follow-Up Card for Enhancing Postpartum Care.

4. qpp.cms.gov qpp.cms.gov/docs/QPP_quality_measure_specifications/CQM-Measures/2024_Measure_336_MIPSCQM.pdf

Maternity Care: Postpartum Follow-up and Care Coordination Managing and ensuring concrete postpartum follow-up after delivery is a critical challenge to the health care system impacting the quality of care mothers ...

5. jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2818867

Group Multimodal Prenatal Care and Postpartum Outcomes This cohort study compares postpartum psychosocial outcomes and perceived quality of prenatal care associated with group prenatal care ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6746586/

Technology-assisted nursing for postpartum support The purpose of this study was to determine if an electronic nursing intervention provided during the first six months postpartum would improve maternal mood ...

7. cdn.clinicaltrials.gov cdn.clinicaltrials.gov/large-docs/37/NCT06899737/Prot_SAP_000.pdf

Research protocol for ENCORE feasibility evaluation A-1 Send follow-up communications to consented participants. • Manage, clean, and analyze data. • Manage incentive distribution. • Report on study findings.