Feasibility of Stay Home, Stay Connected: A Virtual Interprofessional Pregnancy Support Program

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic created opportunities for more flexible prenatal care delivery, including virtual options for wraparound pregnancy services such as anticipatory guidance and support. These virtual services may improve healthcare access, particularly for patients with barriers to in-person care. To address the need for standardized, yet flexible, pregnancy psychoeducation to supplement routine prenatal care, we developed a virtual prenatal support program, Stay Home Stay Connected, with a nine-part curriculum ([Table 1A]). Groups of 8–12 participants at similar gestational ages meet virtually for one hour per month with a maternity care provider (physician or certified nurse midwife) for semi-structured discussions and activities. Health professional students provide co-facilitation and logistical support, and detailed lesson plans are provided ([Table 1B]). We describe the feasibility of this virtual support group to inform sustainability and quality.

Methods: Initial participation data were collected. Following each session, we surveyed facilitators on four key domains, including satisfaction and motivation, curriculum, logistics, and sustainability. Quantitative questions and narrative responses were solicited. Respondents were invited to complete semi-structured interviews conducted by the study team. The interviews were analyzed to identify core themes for program feasibility and opportunities for improvement.

Results: In total, 100 patients were divided into 10 groups facilitated by 10 provider-student pairs. Eight facilitators (80%) completed the survey (5 physicians, 3 certified nurse midwives) after their first session. All respondents (100%) enjoyed facilitating the session. Respondents, who participate as volunteers, were motivated by a desire to provide patient education and patient support (100%), and to participate in group prenatal care delivery (71%). All found the lesson plans to be comprehensive and easy to use, and most (88%) agreed that logistical arrangements were “easy.” Most respondents (63%) dedicate 2 hours or less to the program per month, while 38% dedicate 3–4 hours. All respondents (100%) agreed that their time commitment is sustainable long term. Qualitative responses revealed a variety of uses of the standardized curriculum, including adapting the curriculum into a slideshow for sessions or using it as a script. Preparing student facilitators was seen as time-consuming for one respondent, however others noted that students eased program administration overall.

Conclusion: Maternity care providers can facilitate monthly, one-hour, virtual support programs for pregnant patients with ease when provided logistical support and a comprehensive curriculum. More research is required to evaluate whether curricular topics match participant needs, and to connect patient and provider experiences with health outcomes.

Table 1 Core curricular themes by gestational age (A) and lesson plan format (B)

A: Core curricular themes (gestational age)	B: Lesson plan structure
1. Integrating lifestyle adjustments including exercise, nutrition, and weight gain (12–15 weeks)	I. Session objectives
2. Coping with discomforts of pregnancy (16–19 weeks)	II. Participant milestones (common psychosocial considerations relevant to pregnancy stage)
3. Mood disorders and mindfulness (20–23 weeks)	III. Agenda summary with timing
4. Making plans for infant feeding and adjusting to deviations (24–27 weeks)	IV. Icebreaker (opening question)
5. Values clarification for newborn care and family planning (28–31 weeks)6. Preparing for childbirth (32–35 weeks)7. Confronting the unexpected during childbirth and preparing for the postpartum period (36–40 weeks)8. Postpartum peer support 1 (postpartum 0–4 weeks)9. Postpartum peer support 2 (postpartum 5–8 weeks)	V. Activities and discussion questions with detailed instructions and reference information
	VI. Closer (reflective question)
	VII. Patient resources

No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Publication History

Article published online:
17 September 2021