Dataset Information

Identifying the Needs for a Web-Based Postpartum Platform Among Parents of Newborns and Health Care Professionals: Qualitative Focus Group Study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:During the turbulent postpartum period, there is an urgent need by parents for support and information regarding the care for their infant. In the Netherlands, professional support is provided during the first 8 days postpartum and for a maximum of 8 hours a day. This care is delivered by maternity care assistants (MCAs). Despite the availability of this extensive care, a majority of women prefer to make use of a lesser amount of postpartum care. After this period, access to care is less obvious. Where parents are automatically offered care in the first 8 days after birth, they must request care in the period thereafter. To compensate for a possible gap in information transfer, electronic health (eHealth) can be a valuable, easily accessible addition to regular care. OBJECTIVE:We explored the needs and preferred content by new parents and health care professionals of a web-based platform dedicated to the postpartum period and identified barriers and facilitators for using such a platform. METHODS:We conducted 3 semistructured focus groups among (1) parents of newborns, (2) MCAs, and (3) clinicians and administrators in maternity care. A topic list based on a framework designed for innovation processes was used. Thematic content analysis was applied. RESULTS:In the focus group for parents, 5 mothers and 1 male partner participated. A total of 6 MCAs participated in the second focus group. A total of 5 clinicians and 2 administrators-a member of a stakeholder party and a manager of a maternity care organization-participated in the third focus group. All user groups underlined that a platform focusing on the postpartum period was missing in current care, especially by parents experiencing a gap following the intensive care ending after the first week of childbirth. Parents indicated that they would perceive a postpartum platform as a proper source of reliable information on topics regarding breastfeeding, growth, and developmental milestones, but also as a tool to support them in seeking care with appropriate professionals. They also emphasized the need to receive personalized information and the opportunity to ask questions via the platform. MCAs acknowledged added value of providing additional information on topics that they address during the early postpartum period. MCAs as well as clinicians and administrators would guide parents to such a platform for additional support. All user groups experienced disadvantages of using an authentication procedure and filling out extra questionnaires to receive tailored information. CONCLUSIONS:Our research shows that parents of newborns, MCAs, and clinicians and administrators foresee the additional value of a web-based postpartum platform for at least the whole postpartum period. The platform should be easily accessible and personalized. Content on the platform should contain information regarding breastfeeding, growth, and developmental milestones. A chat function with professionals could be considered as an option.

SUBMITTER: Laureij LT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7284398 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Identifying the Needs for a Web-Based Postpartum Platform Among Parents of Newborns and Health Care Professionals: Qualitative Focus Group Study.

Laureij Lyzette T LT Breunis Leonieke J LJ Steegers-Theunissen Regine P M RPM Rosman Ageeth N AN

JMIR formative research 20200526 5

<h4>Background</h4>During the turbulent postpartum period, there is an urgent need by parents for support and information regarding the care for their infant. In the Netherlands, professional support is provided during the first 8 days postpartum and for a maximum of 8 hours a day. This care is delivered by maternity care assistants (MCAs). Despite the availability of this extensive care, a majority of women prefer to make use of a lesser amount of postpartum care. After this period, access to c ...[more]

PMID: 32452805

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundAlthough approximately 10% of new mothers in Canada develop postpartum depression (PPD), they face many barriers when accessing care. eHealth offers a unique opportunity to provide psychosocial skills and support to new mothers; however, patient populations are not consistently engaged in eHealth development processes. Thus, the diversity of women's backgrounds and needs are often not reflected in existing tools.ObjectiveThis study aims to engage women from a variety of backgrounds and locations around British Columbia (BC) who have previously experienced PPD to determine the unmet psychoeducational needs of women with PPD and how a web-enabled platform used to deliver psychosocial skills and education to assist in the management of PPD could fulfill those needs.MethodsFocus groups were conducted in 7 cities across BC with a total of 31 women (mean age 34.5 years, SD 4.9), with each group ranging from 2-7 participants. Focus groups were cofacilitated by the study coordinator and a local service provider in each community using a semistructured guide to discuss participants' needs, ideas, and opinions as they relate to the use of technology in PPD management. Transcripts were approached inductively using thematic analysis to identify themes and qualitative description to frame what was observed in the data.ResultsA total of 5 themes were identified: bridging gaps to meet needs; providing validation to combat stigma; nurturing capacity to cope, manage, and/or reach wellness; empowering people to take ownership over their mental health; and offering customization to ensure relevance. Each theme identified a need (eg, combatting stigma) and a way to address that need using a web-enabled intervention (eg, providing validation). At the intersection of these themes was the overarching value of promoting agency for women experiencing PPD.ConclusionsUltimately, new mothers require accessible mental health care that promotes their agency in mental health care decision making. Our participants believed that a web-enabled intervention could help meet this need. These data will be used to guide the design of such an intervention, with the eventual implementation of this resource as a first-line management option for PPD.

Project description:BackgroundParents of children with rare conditions increasingly use the Internet to source information on their child's condition. This study reports on part of a larger study whose overall aim was to identify the Internet use by parents when seeking information on their child's rare condition, with the specific purpose of using the findings to aid in the development of a website specifically designed to meet the parents' needs. It presents findings on why these parents use the Internet, the information and support content they source, and the impact these resources have on their capacity to care for and manage their child's condition.ObjectiveTo (1) ascertain parents' general Internet usage patterns, (2) identify the nature of the information parents most frequently searched for, and (3) determine the effect the Internet-sourced information had on parents of children with rare conditions.MethodsData collection was conducted in 2 parts: Part 1 was a focus group interview (n=8) to inform the development of the questionnaire, and Part 2 was a questionnaire (Web- and paper-based). All respondents (N=128) completed the questionnaire using the Internet.ResultsParents frequently and habitually used the Internet and social media to gather information on their child's condition. These Web-based resources provide parents with a parent-to-parent support platform that allows them to share their experiences and information with other parents, which, the respondents considered, improved their knowledge and understanding of their child's condition. The respondents also reported that these resources positively impacted on their decision making, care, and management of their child's condition. However, they reported receiving mixed responses when wishing to engage and share with health care professionals their Internet and social media interactions and information outcomes.ConclusionsThis study adds to the emerging body of research on the Internet use by parents of children with rare conditions to source information on their child's condition. The evolving and ever increasing parent-to-parent support systems via social media are impacting on parents' capacity to manage their children. Implications for practice include health care professionals' response to this knowledge and capacity shift, and the significance of these changes when interacting with parents. The key message of this study was that parents of children with rare conditions are habitual users of the Internet to source information about their children's conditions. Social media, especially Facebook, has an increasing role in the lives of these parents for information and support. Parents' interest in information gathering and sharing includes a desire for shared dialogue with health care professionals.

Project description:BackgroundThe ongoing changes in population demographics increase the relevance of dignified aging across Europe. Community-based health care (CBHC) organizations are necessary to provide sustainable strategies for organizing care for older persons in need of support. To support the digitalization of these organizations, new business models and suitable web platforms are necessary.ObjectiveThis study, which is part of the European Active and Assisted Living (AAL) project called "ICareCoops", aimed to explore concepts, approaches, and workflows of CBHC organizations to achieve a comprehensive understanding of extant services offered and relevant requirements to support these services with information and computer technology (ICT) solutions.MethodsA qualitative study with six focus groups (FGs) with 40 participants was conducted in Switzerland and Slovenia to identify potential stakeholders' needs and requirements for the user-centered development of a web platform. Data were collected from three different stakeholder groups: (1) older persons in need of support as care receivers, (2) significant others of older persons in need of support, and (3) managers or care providers of CBHC organizations. A semistructured interview guide with open questions was used for data collection. FG sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the content of the FG sessions. To assist with further web platform development, the responses of the FG participants were translated into user stories to describe technical requirements.ResultsBy analyzing the transcripts, five main categories were identified: (1) ICT usage behavior of users, (2) challenges of web platform usage, (3) content and technical requirements for the web platform, (4) form and services of CBHC organizations, and (5) rationales of CBHC organizations. The main issues identified were the need for seniors to have individual contact with the CBHC organization and the possibility to coordinate routine services via the web platform, such as ordering meals-on-wheels or booking a caregiver to accompany an older person to the doctor.ConclusionsThe majority of participants showed a lack of familiarity with the usage of ICT. Nevertheless, they were open-minded regarding web platform usage to facilitate workflows and to benefit CBHC organizations. Cooperatives as an organizational model demonstrate a high potential to address users' needs. Therefore, the web platform offers an essential tool for innovative health care models in the future. Searching for care services, contacting care providers, and communicating with care providers was preferred via personal contact and seemed to be the key element for user acceptance and for the successful implementation of a web platform like "ICareCoops" to support CBHC organizations.

Project description:IntroductionPostpartum depression is considered a major public health problem, which immigrant mothers are at particular risk of being affected by, but it can also have long-lasting traumatic effects on the child's health and development. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is the world's most commonly employed screening instrument for postpartum depression, used in connection with a clinical interview to screen for symptoms of postpartum depression. The aim of this study was to synthesize health care professionals (HCPs) experiences of identifying signs of postpartum depression and performing screening on immigrant mothers, since previous research suggested that this task might be challenging.MethodsThe databases CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, Embase and Cochrane were searched for papers published January 2000-December 2020, reporting qualitative data on immigrants, postpartum depression and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Eight papers representing eight studies from four countries were included and the Critical Appraisal Skills Program was used to assess their quality. The synthesis of studies was guided by Noblit & Hare's seven-step method based on meta-ethnography.FindingsThe synthesis resulted in two final themes: "I do my best, but I doubt that it's enough" and "I can find no way forward". The themes convey the fear and frustration that health care professionals experienced; fear of missing mothers with signs of postpartum depression, related to feeling uncomfortable in the cross-cultural setting and frustration in handling difficulties associated with communication, translated versions of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and cultural implications of postpartum depression.Conclusions and clinical implicationBy supporting HCPs' self-efficacy in handling cultural implications of postpartum depression and by developing evidence-based clinical guidelines for the use of interpreters and translated versions of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale the screening of immigrant mothers may be facilitated.

Project description:The management of childhood asthma is often sub-optimal. Parents and other caregivers are primarily responsible for disease management and this responsibility includes communication with health professionals. The aim of this multi-perspective qualitative study was to explore the views of children, parents and health professionals to gain insight into the approach to clinical care in the management of childhood asthma. Interviews were held with nine parent-child (6-8 years) dyads, and 13 health professionals working in primary and secondary care. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Three key themes emerged that were common to all data sets; (1) Child and parent awareness of symptoms; (2) Management and child wellbeing; and (3) Professional communication education and consultation with families. Although some children demonstrate good awareness of symptoms and appropriate use of medication, some parents expressed difficulty in identifying triggers and symptoms of asthma. Furthermore, parents lacked awareness regarding appropriate use of medication for preventing and managing symptoms of asthma. Health professionals believed that communication and education was lacking. Data from all participants suggested that consultations could be enhanced with greater emphasis on children's and parents' perceptions of asthma in the development of asthma management plans.Childhood asthmaGUIDING FAMILIES THROUGH DISEASE MANAGEMENT: Both parents' and children's perceptions and understanding of childhood asthma should be considered when developing asthma management plans. The management of asthma is challenging and can result in poor disease outcomes if care is not taken. An individual's perception of their (or their child's) asthma can also affect the efficacy of treatment. Aidan Searle at the Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, UK, and co-workers, interviewed nine parent-child groups and thirteen health professionals to determine their perceptions of childhood asthma management in primary care. While some children had a strong awareness of symptoms and appropriate medication use, some parents found it difficult to identify asthma triggers and symptoms. Parents also displayed a lack of understanding of management through medication. Health professionals focused on the need for clearer information for families when guiding management of childhood asthma.

Dataset Information

Identifying the Needs for a Web-Based Postpartum Platform Among Parents of Newborns and Health Care Professionals: Qualitative Focus Group Study.

Publications

Identifying the Needs for a Web-Based Postpartum Platform Among Parents of Newborns and Health Care Professionals: Qualitative Focus Group Study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets