Virtual visits and home monitoring
A real option, with real evidence behind it.
In a randomized trial of 300 low-risk women, a model of 8 in-person visits plus 6 virtual visits with a home blood pressure cuff and doppler produced high satisfaction compared with the usual 12 in-person visits.
A wider review of 28 randomized trials and 14 observational studies concluded that telehealth generally produces similar, and sometimes better, clinical outcomes and satisfaction compared with in-person care. Its effect on access and on fairness is less clear.
If travel or time off work is hardAsk whether your practice offers a hybrid schedule. It is a reasonable request with published evidence behind it, not a request for less care.
Where this comes from:
139. Butler Tobah YS, LeBlanc A, Branda ME, Inselman JW, Morris MA, Ridgeway JL, et al. Randomized comparison of a reduced-visit prenatal care model enhanced with remote monitoring. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2019;221(6):638.e1-638.e8.
140. Cantor AG, Jungbauer RM, Totten AM, Tilden EL, Holmes R, Ahmed A, et al. Telehealth strategies for the delivery of maternal health care: a rapid review. Ann Intern Med. 2022;175(9):1285-1297.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.