Review points to patient satisfaction in telehealth strategies in maternal healthcare delivery

Patients are finding telehealth an acceptable strategy for maternal healthcare delivery. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) compared telehealth for the delivery of maternal healthcare (prenatal or postpartum) to usual care since 2015. It found replacing or supplementing usual maternal care with telehealth led to similar (and occasionally better) maternal, obstetric and patient-reported outcomes compared to usual care alone, particularly for mental health, general maternal care and prenatal diabetes. Studies of general maternal care models aimed at reducing the number of in-person visits during the pandemic typically found improved attendance and higher levels of patient satisfaction. PCORI notes the studies didn’t provide evidence on outcomes in populations at risk for disparities - a critical gap - given the maternal morbidity and mortality health disparities faced by Black women.