Project Description

UNMC Logo
UNCM Text Message on White Phone

Impacting rural Nebraska’s prenatal patient population

In Nebraska, nearly half of the counties on average – mostly rural – have a higher percentage of preterm births than the March of Dimes national average of 8.1%. Many of these rural counties are home to 30% or more soon-to-be mothers who receive inadequate prenatal care. Access to prevention and resources are rural barriers in Nebraska that contribute to preterm births.

Through a pilot study conducted under the direction of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and with funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, the pilot study aimed to positively impact these issues within Nebraska’s prenatal patient population. GoMo Health collaborated with Dr. Amy Ford and Dr. Mary Cramer from UNMC to develop a program with specialized content to help reduce preterm births.

CLIENT OVERVIEW
Website unmc.edu
GoMo Health Solutions Personal Concierge™
Cognitive Techniques BehavioralRx®

Our Goals

  • Test the feasibility of an intervention using GoMo Health Personal Concierge™ with Community Health Worker Reinforcement based on patient satisfaction, patient engagement, study enrollment.
  • Examine the intervention effectiveness for reduced preterm births, improved patient activation for self-management, and improved adherence to medical care.

  • Measure intervention costs using return on investment analysis.

BehavioralRx® Logo

GoMo Health leveraged its proprietary emerging science, BehavioralRx, the science of precision health, to build the program and determine the engagement strategy, approach and content delivered.

The following behavioral and cognitive techniques were applied:

  • Suggestion Technology / Intervening at the right time.

  • Conditioning Technology / Reinforcing target behavior.

  • Reduction Technology / Persuading through simplifying.

  • Tailoring Technology / Persuasion through customization.

A 15-month, peer-reviewed pilot study

Expectant mothers were recruited from five primary care clinics in rural Nebraska for a 15-month pilot feasibility study. Participants were in their first or second trimester of pregnancy and were divided into two groups for a quasi-experimental design.

The intervention group received usual medical care plus weekly health content via mobile device using Personal Concierge™. Additionally, they received personal outreach from the Community Health Worker (CHW) who phoned participants to address issues regarding:

  • Finances
  • Safety
  • Social services
  • Medication access
  • Prenatal education
  • Personal health

The control group received usual medical care, plus prenatal information packets.

UNMC Personal Concierge Text Messages on 3 iPhones
UNMC White Paper

Program Results

Through the pilot study conducted under the direction of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and with funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, we sought to positively impact these issues within Nebraska’s prenatal patient population. GoMo Health collaborated with Dr. Amy Ford and Dr. Mary Cramer from UNMC to develop a program with specialized content to help reduce preterm births. 

Download the white paper or view Dr. Mary Cramer’s presentation slides on SlideShare from a speaking event at the Pediatric Nursing & Healthcare 3rd International Conference on September 21, 2018 to read more about the pilot study.

Preterm Births

No preterm births of women in program vs. Nebraska state average of 9.6%.

Costs and ROI

1859% ROI based on average reduction in costs of $1,079 per person in program vs. not in program.

PAM Measures and ePRO

Significant increase in electronic patient-reported outcome measures; especially in confidence level to self-manage health issues as well as to proactively seek resources when needed.

FREE White Paper: Successfully leveraging mobile technology to reduce preterm births

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