The Improving Maternal Postpartum Access to Care through Telemedicine (IMPACT) study is a human research study that will explore how virtual postpartum educational materials and telehealth access can improve early detection and care for complications after birth.

Group photo of the PCORI team

Who We Are

Our research team is comprised of renowned physicians, researchers, and nurses from UT Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health in Dallas and Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Parkland and Grady are home to two of the busiest labor and delivery wards in the country.

Our goal is to partner with obstetrics patients at Parkland and Grady to better understand how to combat the maternal health crisis in our country and overcome barriers to care.

IMPACT Logo

IMPACT on Community

The United States faces a maternal health crisis. In 2021, more than 1,200 women died from pregnancy-related complications. Women of color and women of lower socioeconomic status are at greater risk of complications, which include bleeding, high blood pressure, heart disease, infection, and challenges with mental health.

The IMPACT study can help us better understand how best to combat this crisis and overcome barriers to care.

How It Works

Patients who have recently delivered a baby at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, and at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, are eligible to participate in the study. Participants will be asked to complete surveys and medical screenings such as blood pressure and blood sugar tests to record their health status and experience after giving birth.

The study will be conducted in two phases. The initial phase will collect baseline information and ensure patient input; the second phase will compare two care models:

  1. An intensive education model with ongoing virtual education and communication via remote messaging (“push” notifications)
  2. A telehealth model

The study will measure the effects of “push” notifications in contrast to the “pull” approach of telehealth visits.

Women who have delivered a baby as well as those women’s family members, community members, providers, and insurance companies were asked to help design this study by providing input on which types of study questions, outcome measurements, and interventions would yield the most useful information on how to best care for women after giving birth.

UT Southwestern has engaged city council leaders in order to understand how to ensure reliable internet access is available for participants and how findings from the IMPACT study could apply to improve care in other settings.

Who Can Use Results From This Study and How

The data from this study will help us understand how to identify and treat postpartum problems and will help providers identify best practices for educating and caring for patients after childbirth. This information can help patients, their families, health care providers, communities, and insurance providers determine the best ways to provide and receive postpartum health care.

Meet the UTSW Team

Photo of Claudia Brock

Claudia Brock
Clinical Research Assistant II

Cynthia Cazares Zamarripa

Cynthia Cazares Zamarripa, RN
Research RN

Photo of Jacqueline Catchings

Jacqueline Catchings, Ph.D.
Project Manager

Photo of Lisa Fay-Randall

Lisa Fay-Randall, RN
Senior Research RN

Photo of Maria Garcia

Maria Garcia
Clinical Research Assistant II

Photo of Denise Gonzalez-Hernandez

Denise Gonzalez-Hernandez
Clinical Research Assistant I

Photo of Stacy Guerrero

Stacy Guerrero, RN
Research RN

Photo of Tricia Johnson

Tricia Johnson, RN
Senior Research RN

Photo of Melissa Lopez

Melissa Lopez, RN
Research RN Supervisor

Photo of Rebeca Lopez Ramirez

Rebeca Lopez Ramirez, RN
Research RN

Photo of Stephanie Martinez

Stephanie Martinez, RN
Research RN

Photo of Lisa Moseley

Lisa Moseley, RN
Manager, Clinical Research

Photo of Karla Salazar

Karla Salazar
Clinical Research Assistant II

Photo of Ana Ivette Sias

Ana Ivette Sias
Lead Clinical Research Assistant

Photo of Imelda Smith

Imelda Smith, RN
Senior Research RN

Photo of Andrea Williams

Andrea Williams
Research Study Coordinator

Principal UTSW Investigators

Photo of Elaine Duryea, M.D.

Elaine Duryea, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Photo of Robert Martin, M.D.

Robert Martin, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Photo of David Nelson, M.D.

David Nelson, M.D.
Associate Professor and Division Chief
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Photo of Catherine Spong, M.D.

Catherine Spong, M.D.
Professor and Department Chair
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Peer Collaborators

Photo of Sheree Boulet, DrPh, M.P.H.

Sheree Boulet, DrPh, M.P.H.
Associate Professor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emory University School of Medicine

Photo of Marissa Platner, M.D.

Marissa Platner, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emory University School of Medicine