What this study is
The lack of postpartum primary care coordination is a missed opportunity to increase primary care engagement and manage chronic conditions early in life, especially for the >30% of pregnant people who have or are at risk for these conditions. This study aims to increase postpartum primary care engagement, quality, and experience by strengthening postpartum transitions to primary care using a behavioral economics-informed, multi-component intervention integrated into usual inpatient postpartum care. Using a randomized controlled trial and repeated outcome assessments through administrative and survey data, this study will generate rigorous, actionable evidence to ensure primary care coordination becomes standard postpartum care practice, potentially catalyzing sustained primary care engagement throughout life.
What's being tested
- Facilitated Transition to Primary Care
Intervention · OTHER
The intervention includes default PCP visit scheduling, tailored nudge messages to patients, ongoing care recommendations sent to the PCP, and a summary of recommendations after pregnancy given to the patient.
Study details
- Official title
- Bridges to Primary Care: Transforming Postpartum Primary Care Coordination for People With Chronic Conditions
- Sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Conditions
- Hypertension · Diabetes · Postpartum · Pregnancy · Anxiety · Depression · Obesity
- Enrolling
- 1,320 people
- Starts
- 2025-05-23
- Est. completion
- 2028-05-23
- Design
- Triple-blind, randomized, parallel groups
- Record
- View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Who can join
Age 18 Years and overSex FEMALEHealthy volunteers Not acceptedYou may qualify if
- Receiving obstetric care at an MGH-affiliated obstetrics practice (except for the MGH HOPE Clinic, which has a unique care model that provides prenatal and postnatal care for individuals with substance use disorder, including the provision of primary care through 2+ years postpartum)
- Pregnant with a live fetus or delivered a live-born neonate ≥24 weeks of gestation, based on the clinical estimate of gestational age
- If postpartum, has a neonate that is currently living at the time of enrollment
- Has one or more of the following conditions listed in the "Problem List," "Medical History," or clinical notes during prenatal, intrapartum, or postpartum encounters in the EHR (or in the case of BMI, the patient's anthropometric measurements):; Chronic or essential hypertension; Hypertensive disorders related to pregnancy (e.g., pre-eclampsia); Type 1 or 2 diabetes (i.e., pre-existing diabetes); Gestational diabetes; Class II Obesity (pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥35 kg/m2; or if pre-pregnancy body mass index is not known, a first trimester BMI of ≥35 kg/m2); Depression or anxiety disorder
- Has a primary care clinician listed in the patient's medical record
- Has access to or agrees to be enrolled in the electronic health record patient portal and consents to be contacted via these modalities
- Able to read/speak English or Spanish language
- Is age ≥18 years old
You can't join if
- Any individual not meeting all inclusion criteria
Sign in and we'll check these against your records.Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Study locations (1)
1 openMassachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Recruiting
Study team
Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital
Study ID 2024P002210
Principal investigator
Mark A Clapp, MD, MPH
Massachusetts General Hospital
Frequently asked questions
The sponsor hasn't published answers to common questions for this trial.