IMPACT (IMpact on PostpArtum Care by Telehealth) Study: a retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions turned to telehealth as the primary method of postpartum care delivery. We aimed to determine the impact of telehealth on the completion of postpartum care goals. Study Design: We compared a 14-week period, March-June 2019, before implementation of telehealth to the same calendar months post-implementation during 2020. Patients with a postpartum visit (PPV) scheduled at our institution during the study period were included. Our primary outcome was attendance to the PPV. Secondary outcomes included completion of postpartum depression (PPD) screening, contraception selection, breastfeeding status at PPV, completion of postpartum 2-hour glucose tolerance test (GTT) for women with gestational diabetes, and cardiology follow-up when recommended. Multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination was used to control for confounders. Results: Of the 1,579 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 780 were in the pre-telehealth group and 799 were in the post-telehealth group. Subjects in the post-telehealth group were 90% more likely to attend a PPV compared to those in the pre-telehealth group, even when controlling for race, prenatal care provider, parity, gestational age at delivery, and insurance status (82.9% vs. 72.4%, p < 0.001;aOR 1.90, 95% CI [1.47-2.46]). Patients in the post-telehealth group were also more likely to get screened for PPD (86.3% vs. 65.1%, p < 0.001). While subjects were as likely to choose a contraceptive method at the PPV, those in the post-telehealth group were less likely to choose long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) or permanent sterilization (26.2% vs. 33.2%, p=0.03). There was no difference in breastfeeding status at the PPV, completion rate of postpartum 2-hour GTT, or attendance to cardiology follow-up appointments between groups. Conclusion: Availability of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased PPV attendance and PPD screening. However, the availability of telehealth was also associated with a decrease in the utilization of LARC or permanent sterilization. [Formula presented]