Digital Maternal Support Tool Implementation

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: Recruiting
• Conditions: Postpartum
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Smartphone application

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: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: 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: Anne-Marie Rick, MD, MPH, PhD; Phone Number: 610-349-5571; Email: annemarie.rick@chp.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• 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

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
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

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability of App	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	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

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Knowledge - postpartum symptoms	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	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

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Health services utilization	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

• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh
• Collaborators: Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Tamar Krishnamurti, PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 3, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 15, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 19, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 19, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 15, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: smartphone; postpartum; parenting; mobile applications
• Other Study ID 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