Perinatal Telehealth: Meeting Patients Where They Are.
Katherine Kissler, E Brie Thumm, Denise C Smith and 9 others
PMID 37641584WHAT IT FOUND
In nurse-led perinatal care, patients and providers reported telehealth preserved connection, reduced missed visits, and increased flexibility.
Providers worried about remote safety checks and privacy, while patients generally felt confident.
Key findings
01Patients and providers reported high satisfaction with telephone and video visits, and providers perceived more time for communication, connection, and education.
02Telehealth reduced practical barriers to perinatal visits, including work, school, childcare, and weather, and patients and providers reported fewer missed appointments.
03Midwifery providers worried about remote vital signs, fetal movement, and growth, while patients reported confidence in their own symptom reports and visit location.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only people who had already used telehealth, so it does not describe patients who chose or needed in-person visits only. Interviews were done over Zoom, so patients without internet or phone access could not be included. All interviewees preferred English, even though Spanish-language interviews were available, so non-English perspectives may be missing. The paper does not include patients who did not access telehealth or were unaware it was an option. It reports experiences, not measured clinical outcomes, so it cannot show whether telehealth is safe or improves maternal or infant health.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types show NIH extramural and U.S. government non-PHS research support. The supplied text includes a conflict of interest disclosure but does not identify a commercial sponsor or author conflict.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that perinatal telehealth is safe or improves outcomes. It reports experiences of 14 patients and 17 providers who already used telehealth, not clinical outcomes or patients who could not access it.