Making Myana ("Mothers, You Are Not Alone"): An Equity-Focused Process for Developing a Postpartum Support App

Area of Science:

• Digital health
• Maternal health
• Health equity

Background:

• Limited digital tools focus on postpartum support and reducing maternal health inequities.
• Pregnancy-related complications can occur up to a year postpartum, necessitating continued support.
• Existing digital health solutions often overlook the unique needs of the postpartum period.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a health equity-centered design process for a comprehensive postpartum support app.
• To develop the Myana app, aimed at improving maternal health outcomes and addressing disparities.
• To create a digital tool that supplements the formal healthcare system for postpartum individuals.

Main Methods:

• Iterative design and testing of the Myana app based on behavioral decision research.
• Incorporated principles for developing equity-focused digital reproductive health tools.
• Data collection included qualitative interviews, focus groups, and prototype/wireframe evaluations.

Main Results:

• The iterative process shaped key app features like symptom triaging ('The Healing Check-in') and tailored education ('The Learning Center').
• Design decisions were informed by clinical and community perspectives, focusing on health disparities.
• App features, content, interaction cadence, tone, and visual design were refined based on user feedback.

Conclusions:

• The Myana app was created to empower birthing parents in managing their health postpartum and improve overall outcomes.
• The health equity-centered, iterative design process integrated diverse perspectives to address disparities.
• This approach offers a novel model for developing digital health tools to support the postpartum period.