The major goal of this study is to develop and pilot M-HARP (Maternal Health Assessmentand Referral Integrated into Pediatric Care). M-HARP will adapt a successful US-basedhealth screening and referral protocol to fit the needs of new mothers at Clínica deFamilia La Romana, Dominican Republic.
The major goal of this project is to improve the access and utilization of primary
healthcare of women in the postpartum period at Clínica de Familia La Romana (CFLR), by
designing and piloting M-HARP. Additionally, by applying best practices in implementation
science, our study will provide data that can be utilized in other settings. First, the
investigators will develop strategies for integrating M-HARP into CFLR through
stakeholder engagement. Second, we will pilot M-HARP at CFLR by recruiting postpartum
women during their child's pediatric well child visit and measure implementation outcomes
guided by the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance)
framework.
Aim 1: Develop strategies and processes for establishing M-HARP into CFLR. In Aim 1 the
investigators will conduct two in-person advisory meetings, each held at CFLR. One
meeting will be with mothers that receive their obstetric care and/or bring their
children to CFLR for pediatric care. A second meeting advisory meeting clinicians at
CFLR- obstetricians, pediatricians, family planning providers, family medicine and
internal medicine. In each meeting we will review the M-HARP questionnaire, the draft
protocol and conduct a patient journey mapping exercise. These meetings will be audio
recorded and transcribed so the meetings can be reviewed later. Results from these
meetings are solely recommendations for M-HARP protocol optimization and will not be
published. Therefore, the advisory board members are not research participants.
Aim 2: Pilot M-HARP:
The pilot will enroll participants into two separate groups- the standard of care (SOC)
group or M-HARP receipt group. All participants are mothers that will be recruited and
enrolled while accompanying their infant to a pediatric visit at CFLR. Potential
participants will be recruited after their child has been placed in the clinical exam
room. In standard practice, the nurse or medical assistant from CFLR will intake the
child (record vital signs and review immunization history). Then the family will wait in
the exam room for the pediatrician. At this time the research assistant will approach the
mother and assess interest in participating in the study. If the mother is interested,
the research assistant will explain the study and assess the mother's eligibility. If
mother agrees to participate, consent will be explained and signed. This will all occur
in the exam room, which is a private space.
In phase 1, the investigators will enroll SOC, who will complete a questionnaire on
demographics and medical history but will not have the M-HARP questionnaire reviewed by
the pediatrician. Phase 2 will consist of M-HARP recipient group enrollment. During Phase
2, participants will also fill out a questionnaire on demographics and medical history
but will also be given the M-HARP questionnaire. The M-HARP questionnaire will gather
information on healthcare visits since delivery, desire for contraception, PHQ-2
depression screening, and desire for referral. The M-HARP questionnaire will be
subsequently reviewed by the pediatrician. If the participants meet the criteria, they
will be referred to the appropriate primary care service within the CFLR clinic. CFLR
provides many different care services including primary care, obstetrics and gynecology,
family planning and psychological care. Follow-up for SOCs and M-HARP recipients will
occur 2-3 months after enrollment. All participants will be contacted to complete a
survey (online or over the phone), which will be a repeat of the M-HARP questionnaire
that assesses use of primary care and/or family planning services. At this time, study
team members will review Clinical de Familia's medical records to evaluate if
participants had scheduled or attended clinical visits. After the follow-up survey, we
will conduct interviews with 15 participants in the M-HARP recipient group. The interview
will assess the participants' experience in M-HARP, its acceptability, feasibility, and
integration into pediatric care at CFLR. Participant information will be de-identified
during data analysis and contact information will only be accessible to research staff to
ensure confidentiality. Lastly, to ensure that all participants have the same access to
health resources, after the follow-up survey the SOC participants will be provided with
the same referrals that were offered to the M-HARP recipient group after the initial
questionnaire, but their health care use data will not be tracked after that time.
Behavioral: referral
Participants in the intervention arm will be given the "M-HARP questionnaire." The M-HARP
questionnaire will gather information on healthcare visits since delivery, desire for
contraception, depression screening, and desire for referral. The M-HARP questionnaire
will be subsequently reviewed by the pediatrician. If the participants meet the criteria,
they will be referred to the appropriate clinical service, including primary care,
obstetrics and gynecology, family planning and psychological care.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Women attending pediatric visits at Clínica de Familia La Romana during the study
period
- Women in postpartum period, with children up to 6 months of age ≥18 years
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant with another child, since they will be triaged to prenatal care rather than
postpartum primary care
- Unwilling and unable to consent
- Women who do not speak Spanish or Creole.
Clínica De Familia
La Romana, Dominican Republic
Not Provided