Digital Maternal Support Tool Implementation

December 15, 2025 updated by: Tamar Krishnamurti, University of Pittsburgh

Digital Maternal Support Tool Implementation: Research to Inform a Statewide Postpartum App Implementation Strategy

The goal of this trial is to learn if a smartphone app designed to provide postpartum support is acceptable to new mothers in Pennsylvania. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • How easy is the app is to use?
  • Does the app meet the needs of new parents?
  • Is using the app associated with better understanding of critical postpartum symptoms?
  • Is using the app associated with endorsement of positive parenting statements?

Participants will:

  • Use a postpartum support app on their smartphones for 8 weeks
  • Answer survey questions about their experience

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone app designed to provide postpartum education, screening and tracking, and positive parenting support for newly postpartum English-language speakers in Pennsylvania. This trial will also examine the preliminary effectiveness of the smartphone app for identifying symptoms and supporting positive parenting beliefs by measuring knowledge and attitude changes from pre-app use to post-app use.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Tamar Krishnamurti, PhD
  • Phone Number: 412-383-5556
  • Email: tamark@pitt.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • Recruiting
        • UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Recently delivered one or two live births at hospital recruitment site
  • 18-45 years of age
  • Can participate in English
  • Has smartphone access for at least two months (study duration)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Did NOT recently deliver one or two live births at hospital recruitment site
  • <18 or >45 years of age
  • Cannot participate in English
  • Does not have smartphone for at least two months (study duration)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Postpartum support app
All study participants will be given access to a postpartum support app. They will be asked to use this app for 8 weeks. Periodic surveys will be administered at 10 days, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks post enrollment. Baseline measurements will be collected at enrollment.
Other: Smartphone application
The smartphone app is designed to provide postpartum education, screening and tracking, and positive parenting support for newly postpartum English-language speakers in Pennsylvania.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Acceptability of App
Time Frame: Day 10, Week 4, and Week 8 of study participation
20 questions tailored from the Unified Theory of Acceptance of Use of Technology (UTAUT) asked at 3 study timepoints: 10 days, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. 11 of the 20 questions are repeated across timepoints that assess the smartphone app (e.g., "The amount of information in [the app] is what I need" or "Overall, I like [the app]"). The remaining 9 are specific to distinct features of the app that are made available to the user at specific timepoints (e.g., "I like the way the healing check-in looks and feels"; "I like the way the [2-month] baby milestones look and feel"). Answers are measured on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from (1)strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree (5), unless reverse-coded. Means and standard deviations will be calculated for each item, with higher responses indicating higher levels of acceptability.
Day 10, Week 4, and Week 8 of study participation
Feasibility of App Use
Time Frame: From enrollment (baseline) to the end of study participation at 8 weeks.
Feasibility will be measured using rate of engagement. Engagement will be evaluated by the number of study weeks that users uniquely access the smartphone app.
From enrollment (baseline) to the end of study participation at 8 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Knowledge - postpartum symptoms
Time Frame: Enrollment (baseline), day 10, week 4, and week 8 of study participation
From a list of 14 postpartum symptoms, participants will be asked to classify the symptom with the appropriate response: monitor at home, call your provider, or call 911/seek emergency care. Baseline knowledge will be measured at enrollment based on the number correct out of 14, with follow-up measurements taken at 10 days, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.
Enrollment (baseline), day 10, week 4, and week 8 of study participation
Attitudes - positive parenting
Time Frame: Enrollment (baseline), day 10, week 4, and week 8 of study participation
From a list of 10 statements focused on parenting practices, participants will rate the statements from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Example statements include, "Skin-to-skin contact improves baby health and development," "Babies need strict routines" (reverse coded), and "Infants should be fed when they show hunger cues." These responses are summed, with higher scores indicating stronger endorsement of positive parenting. These measurements are taken as a baseline measurement at enrollment, and then again at 10 days, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.
Enrollment (baseline), day 10, week 4, and week 8 of study participation

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Health services utilization
Time Frame: Day 10, week 4, and week 8 of study participation
Well-visit (maternal) and check-up (infants) attendance are surveyed on day 10, week 4, and week 8 (e.g., "Has your baby (or twins) had their first well visit with their pediatrician yet?" or "Have you attended a postpartum check-up?"). Non-routine healthcare utilization is surveyed at week 4 and week 8 (e.g., "In the last 4 weeks, did your baby (or twins) have a visit at an emergency department?"or "In the last 8 weeks, did you call, message or schedule a visit with your Obstetrician or Primary Care Provider for a reason other than a postpartum check-up?"). Distributions for each response will be used for analysis.
Day 10, week 4, and week 8 of study participation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Pittsburgh

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Tamar Krishnamurti, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 3, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 15, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 19, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 19, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 15, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY24110002

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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