Fourth Trimester - A Web-based Tool for Postpartum Care to Address the Needs of Underserved Women

Overview

The postpartum period is a critical time for both maternal and child health, and more than half of all maternal deaths occur postpartum, from one day to one year after birth. This poor outcome is linked to the racial and ethnic disparities that disproportionately effects low income and black women. To reduce the burden of the postpartum period for this population, the goal of this project is to develop an accessible, targeted online tool designed to address the needs of underserved women who are at greater risk for adverse postpartum outcomes by providing the appropriate tools, knowledge and skills to improve postpartum health.

In the United States, the postpartum period is a critical time for both maternal and child health, the mortality rate is the highest among other developed, high income countries and more than half of all maternal deaths occur postpartum, from one day to one year after birth. This poor outcome is linked to the racial and ethnic disparities that disproportionately effect black women who are 3-4 times more likely to experience maternal mortality than white women. Recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recognized the deficiencies in postpartum care and coined the term the 'fourth trimester' to mark the time following the birth of the infant through the first 3-months postpartum, and updated its recommendations to address these challenges. With impacts to health outcomes and healthcare costs, there is a need to holistically bridge the gap for low-income and/or ethnically diverse groups of women to address the physical, cultural, and knowledge barriers to accessing quality postpartum care. To improve the rate at which underserved women are disproportionately affected by maternal mortality and morbidity, the investigators need to engage women leading into and specifically during the postpartum period to identity areas of need, and to provide tools which reduce barriers for women to get appropriate postpartum care. Technology offers innovative solutions to challenges around equal information access. Pregnant women often turn to the internet to find out more information about their health and their developing babies health. Yet, studies find that mothers are not finding sufficient resources to match their postpartum needs. To address this gap in care, this project aims to develop a mobile tool designed to increase accessibility to information and practical approaches for addressing the complex needs of women in this 'fourth trimester'. This tool will specifically focus on underserved women who are at greatest risk of adverse postpartum outcomes.