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FRIDAY, May 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The use of a mobile prenatal care app can reduce in-person obstetric (OB) visits but does not impact patient or provider satisfaction, according to a study published in the May issue of JMIR mHealth and uHealth<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Kathryn I. Marko, M.D., from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., and colleagues examined the effectiveness of a mobile prenatal care app to facilitate a reduced in-person visit schedule for low-risk pregnancies. A control group (41 patients) receiving usual care was compared to an experimental group (47 patients) receiving prenatal care and using a mobile prenatal care app. The control group had the usual number of visits, while the experimental group had a planned reduction in the frequency of in-person office visits. The effectiveness of the virtual care platform was assessed via the number of in-person OB visits during pregnancy and patient satisfaction with prenatal care.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that the average number of in-person OB visits during pregnancy was 7.8 in the experimental group compared with 10.2 in the control group (P = 0.01). No statistically significant differences were seen in patient or provider satisfaction (P > 0.5).<\/p>\n
“While the results of our study were largely positive, more research is needed to determine the connection between mobile prenatal apps and maternal or fetal outcomes,” a coauthor said in a statement. “There is a lot more potential for use of mobile prenatal apps for both patients and providers.”<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to Babyscripts; one author disclosed ties to 1EQ.<\/p>\n