TY - JOUR
T1 - The use of and experiences with telelactation among rural breastfeeding mothers
T2 - Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial
AU - Kapinos, Kandice
AU - Kotzias, Virginia
AU - Bogen, Debra
AU - Ray, Kristin
AU - Demirci, Jill
AU - Rigas, Mary Ann
AU - Uscher-Pines, Lori
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant #R40MC294510100.
Publisher Copyright:
©Kandice Kapinos, Virginia Kotzias, Debra Bogen, Kristin Ray, Jill Demirci, Mary Ann Rigas, Lori Uscher-Pines.
PY - 2019/9/1
Y1 - 2019/9/1
N2 - Background: Telelactation services connect breastfeeding mothers to remotely located lactation consultants through audio-visual technology and can increase access to professional breastfeeding support in rural areas. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify maternal characteristics associated with the demand for and use of telelactation and to describe visit characteristics. Methods: We conducted a descriptive study within the context of a randomized controlled trial. Participant survey data and vendor electronic medical record data were used to assess video call characteristics like timing, duration, topics discussed, and participant satisfaction. Recruitment occurred from 2016-2018 at a rural critical access hospital in Pennsylvania. The 102 women enrolled in the study were given access to unlimited, on-demand video calls with lactation consultants through a mobile phone app and were tracked for 12 weeks following their postpartum hospitalization. Results: A total of 94 participants out of 102 recruits (92%) participated in the final, 12-week survey assessment were included in the analysis. Of those, 47 (50%) participants reported participating in one or more video calls, and 31 (33%) completed one or more calls that included a substantive discussion of a breastfeeding challenge. Participants who used telelactation (21/31, 68%; P=.02) were more likely to be working at 12 weeks postpartum compared to others (26/63, 41%), were less likely (12/31, 39%; P=.02) to have prior breastfeeding experience on average compared to nonusers (41/63, 65%), and were less likely to have breastfed exclusively (16/31, 52%; P<.001) prior to hospital discharge compared to mothers who didn’t use telelactation services (51/63, 81%). Most video calls (58/83, 70%) occurred during the infant’s first month of life and 41% (34/83) occurred outside of business hours. The most common challenges discussed included: breast pain, soreness, and infection (25/83, 30%), use of nipple shields (21/83, 25%), and latch or positioning (17/83, 24%). Most telelactation users (43/47, 91%) expressed satisfaction with the help received. Conclusions: Telelactation is an innovation in the delivery of professional breastfeeding support. This research documents both demand for and positive experiences with telelactation in an underserved population. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02870413; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02870413.
AB - Background: Telelactation services connect breastfeeding mothers to remotely located lactation consultants through audio-visual technology and can increase access to professional breastfeeding support in rural areas. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify maternal characteristics associated with the demand for and use of telelactation and to describe visit characteristics. Methods: We conducted a descriptive study within the context of a randomized controlled trial. Participant survey data and vendor electronic medical record data were used to assess video call characteristics like timing, duration, topics discussed, and participant satisfaction. Recruitment occurred from 2016-2018 at a rural critical access hospital in Pennsylvania. The 102 women enrolled in the study were given access to unlimited, on-demand video calls with lactation consultants through a mobile phone app and were tracked for 12 weeks following their postpartum hospitalization. Results: A total of 94 participants out of 102 recruits (92%) participated in the final, 12-week survey assessment were included in the analysis. Of those, 47 (50%) participants reported participating in one or more video calls, and 31 (33%) completed one or more calls that included a substantive discussion of a breastfeeding challenge. Participants who used telelactation (21/31, 68%; P=.02) were more likely to be working at 12 weeks postpartum compared to others (26/63, 41%), were less likely (12/31, 39%; P=.02) to have prior breastfeeding experience on average compared to nonusers (41/63, 65%), and were less likely to have breastfed exclusively (16/31, 52%; P<.001) prior to hospital discharge compared to mothers who didn’t use telelactation services (51/63, 81%). Most video calls (58/83, 70%) occurred during the infant’s first month of life and 41% (34/83) occurred outside of business hours. The most common challenges discussed included: breast pain, soreness, and infection (25/83, 30%), use of nipple shields (21/83, 25%), and latch or positioning (17/83, 24%). Most telelactation users (43/47, 91%) expressed satisfaction with the help received. Conclusions: Telelactation is an innovation in the delivery of professional breastfeeding support. This research documents both demand for and positive experiences with telelactation in an underserved population. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02870413; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02870413.
KW - Breastfeeding
KW - Lactation
KW - Lactation support
KW - Rural health
KW - Telehealth
KW - Telemedicine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071769570&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85071769570&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2196/13967
DO - 10.2196/13967
M3 - Article
C2 - 31482848
AN - SCOPUS:85071769570
SN - 1439-4456
VL - 21
JO - Journal of medical Internet research
JF - Journal of medical Internet research
IS - 9
M1 - e13967
ER -