Incorporating Equity Into Maternal Telehealth

Abstract

The US maternal health crisis continues to disproportionately affect economically and socially marginalized pregnant and postpartum people. Meanwhile, telehealth has boomed in popularity due to the coronavirus pandemic and has been lauded as a potential tool to address certain social determinants of health (SDOHs) such as transportation and rurality. While telehealth shows promise for obstetric care delivery, more research is needed to assess accessibility and outcomes in diverse populations. This commentary outlines key areas for health care providers and researchers to advance maternal health equity through telehealth by addressing individual patient needs, investing in telehealth care delivery, using electronic health record data to identify demographic trends, and conducting equity-centered research focused on SDOHs for pregnant and postpartum people. While we use pregnant and postpartum people where possible here to recognize that not all pregnant people identify as women, we occasionally use women and maternal to reflect terminology used in federal, state, and local data.1 Additionally, we use the term telehealth in accordance with the definition by the US Department of Health and Human Services.2 *Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. Public Release Case Number 22-1455. ©2022 The MITRE Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED*