Developing 'Essential Coaching for Every Partner', a postpartum text-message digital health solution for non-birthing...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Parenting Support

Background:

• Non-birthing parents receive less postpartum support compared to birthing parents.
• Text message-based education can address postpartum health service gaps for non-birthing parents.
• Existing programs like Essential Coaching for Every Mother highlight the need for tailored non-birthing parent support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design and development of Essential Coaching for Every Partner.
• To create a postpartum text message digital health solution for non-birthing parents.

Main Methods:

• User-centered iterative design with four rounds of testing.
• Involved non-birthing parents (n=11), healthcare providers (n=11), and experts (n=2).
• Utilized semi-structured interviews and the Information Assessment Method (IAM) Parents.

Main Results:

• Content and message timing were refined based on participant feedback over four rounds.
• Additional content areas, such as combination feeding, were incorporated.
• Developed 59 messages; 100% found information relevant/understandable, 91% felt less worried.

Conclusions:

• Inclusion of diverse stakeholders ensured patient-focused, evidence-based messaging.
• Essential Coaching for Every Partner is expected to enhance parenting self-efficacy.
• The program aims to reduce postpartum anxiety in non-birthing parents and fill a service gap.