Effect of Internet + continuous midwifery service model on psychological mood and pregnancy outcomes for women with high-risk pregnancies

Abstract

BACKGROUND There are many drawbacks to the traditional midwifery service management model, which can no longer meet the needs of the new era. The Internet + continuous midwifery service management model extends maternal management from prenatal to postpartum, in-hospital to out-of-hospital, and offline to online, thereby improving maternal and infant outcomes. Applying the Internet + continuous midwifery service management model to manage women with high-risk pregnancies (HRP) can improve their psycho-emotional opinion and, in turn, minimize the risk of adverse maternal and/or fetal outcomes. AIM To explore the effectiveness of a midwife-led Internet + continuous midwifery service model for women with HRP. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 439 women with HRP who underwent prenatal examination and delivered at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital (affiliated to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine) from April to December 2022. Among them, 239 pregnant women underwent routine obstetric management, and 200 pregnant women underwent Internet + continuous midwifery service mode management. We used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and analysis of delivery outcomes to compare psychological mood and the incidence of adverse delivery outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS The data showed that in early pregnancy, the anxiety and depression levels of the two groups were similar; the levels gradually decreased as pregnancy progressed, and the decrease in the continuous group was more significant [31.00 (29.00, 34.00) vs 34.00 (32.00, 37.00), 8.00 (6.00, 9.00) vs 12.00 (10.00, 13.00), P < 0.05]. The maternal self-efficacy level and strategy for weight gain management were better in the continuous group than in the traditional group, and the effective rate of midwifery service intervention in the continuous group was significantly higher than in the control group [267.50 (242.25, 284.75) vs 256.00 (233.00, 278.00), 74.00 (69.00, 78.00) vs 71.00 (63.00, 78.00), P < 0.05]. The incidence of adverse delivery outcomes in pregnant women and newborns and fear of maternal childbirth were lower in the continuous group than in the traditional group, and nursing satisfaction was higher [10.50% vs 18.83%, 8.50% vs 15.90%, 24.00% vs 42.68%, 89.50% vs 76.15%, P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION The Internet + continuous midwifery service model promotes innovation through integration and is of great significance for improving and promoting maternal and child health in HRP.