Researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences are looking at ways to help boost the health of new mothers.
The five-year study will seek to address some of the gaps in treatment and health knowledge faced by women in the postpartum period.
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, one of the study’s principal investigators, says about 50% of maternal deaths occur one week to one year after delivery.
“The maternal healthcare community has done a really good job of addressing some of the complications that can occur during delivery, during pregnancy, and now we’re seeing that the postpartum period is when more complications are emerging that can lead to severe morbidity or death,” she said. “So we need to do a better job of monitoring and supporting patients during that period.”
One group of study participants will receive a telehealth doctor’s visit between 10 and 14 days after giving birth, and will also undergo remote blood pressure monitoring for two weeks. Callaghan-Koru says that follows recommendations first made by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2018.
“Change in healthcare does take time… but once you have really hard data that show this is better for patients, and this can help us more efficiently use healthcare resources, then I think that really helps change happen faster,” she said.
The other group in the study will have a doctor’s appointment six weeks postpartum, which is currently the standard of care.
The goal is for 1,500 women, mainly from low-income and racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, to take part in the research project. Callaghan-Koru says she hopes to address some of the racial and socioeconomic disparities most often seen in maternal health outcomes.
“We expect to be able to enroll a really diverse sample in our study, and then be able to disaggregate and look at, are we seeing that those gaps are narrowing for women who are in the telehealth group?”
Callaghan-Koru says maternal death rates are twice as high for Black women in the U-S compared to white women, and about three times as high for Asian women. The study is funded by a $15 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
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