Increasing Use of a Postpartum and Newborn Chatbot among Birthing Individuals and Caregivers: Development and...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Health Informatics

Background:

• The 42 days post-childbirth present significant risks for birthing individuals and newborns.
• Two rule-based chatbots were created to provide crucial information on postpartum and newborn warning signs, follow-up care, and resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate strategies for implementing chatbots after hospital discharge.
• To assess initial chatbot reach and improvements after refinement based on user feedback.

Main Methods:

• Chatbot reach was defined as users opening the chatbot out of those who received it.
• Demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records.
• Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression analyzed reach predictors.

Main Results:

• Over 60% of users accessed the chatbots (postpartum: 63.6%, newborn: 65.9%).
• Older age, Black race, non-English/Spanish languages, external prenatal care, and public insurance predicted postpartum chatbot reach.
• Older age, Black race, external prenatal care, public/self-pay insurance, and longer newborn hospital stays predicted newborn chatbot reach.
• A Spanish-language version improved newborn chatbot reach; further revisions did not significantly alter reach.

Conclusions:

• Chatbots effectively delivered time-sensitive information and support to over 60% of users.
• This intervention shows chatbots can supplement patient care and improve post-discharge connections.
• Future research should focus on enhancing chatbot reach and evaluating impacts on health outcomes.