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First page of Development of a Postpartum Follow-up Program in a Fetal Center

Introduction: Patients delivering in a highly specialized fetal center often travel a distance from their homes and primary care providers leaving the potential for significant gaps in comprehensive postpartum care. Objective: To evaluate the implementation, engagement, and outcomes of a nurse-led postpartum follow-up program during its first year of inception. Methods: A registered nurse conducted outreach via phone, text, or email at 2–3 and 6–8 weeks postpartum for all patients who delivered in a Special Delivery Unit of a Children’s hospital. Standardized scripts included medical and mental health concerns to assess engagement, postpartum complications, care utilization, contraception use, lactation, and follow-up completion. Results: Of 407 patients, 503 total outreach calls were completed. The engagement rate was high, with contact established for 89.9% of participants. At least one clinical concern was identified in over 25% of patients, prompting further follow-up. Only 1.7% required readmission and 94.3% visited an emergency department, rates comparable to national postpartum benchmarks. At 6–8 weeks, 75% had attended or scheduled a postpartum visit. Contraception use was reported by 65% of patients, and 67% reported active lactation. Mental health screening flagged 6.4% of patients, with a significantly higher rate (26.5%) among those who experienced fetal or neonatal loss compared to those who did not (4.3%, p<0.00001). Conclusion: The implementation of a comprehensive nurse-led postpartum program in a fetal therapy center achieved high engagement rate and demonstrated feasibility and value in bridging care gaps supporting the expansion of telehealth-based postpartum follow-up in fetal therapy centers.

Journal Section:
Clinical Fetal Medicine
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S. Karger AG, Basel
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2025
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