Use of a Smartphone App to Explore Potential Underuse of Prophylactic Aspirin for Preeclampsia

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Preeclampsia is a leading preventable cause of maternal morbidity and mortality.Initiation of low-dose aspirin (LDASA) treatment at or before 16 weeks' gestation may prevent preeclampsia onset for patients with specific risk factors. OBJECTIVE To assess potential underuse of LDASA and reasons for underuse using data from a prenatal care smartphone app. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSIn this prospective cohort study, English-speaking pregnant patients aged 18 years or older from the UPMC health care system received an invitation to use the MyHealthyPregnancy app at their first prenatal appointment. Use of the app was voluntary.The study took place between September 23, 2019, and August 31, 2020, as part of a qualityimprovement initiative.EXPOSURES The app offered educational information, monitoring tools, and routine screenings tailored to patient-entered gestational age and demographic and clinical characteristics. App-based questions included LDASA eligibility based on US Preventive Services Task Force criteria for preeclampsia risk and a monthly prompt about LDASA recommendations from the patient's health care practitioner. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcomes were the receipt of LDASA recommendations from a practitioner and adherence to any such recommendation, as self-reported on the app. Patients' medical records were examined to cross-reference their self-reports of an LDASA recommendation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to model patient-perceived recommendation as a function of factors associated with preeclampsia. RESULTSThe patient cohort consisted of 2563 patient participants (2036 [79%] White; mean [SD] age, 30 [5.2] years) with 2567 pregnancies; 1882 pregnancies (73.3%) were among women with private or employer-based insurance, and 1246 (48.5%) were among nulliparous patients. At least 1 factor associated with high risk for preeclampsia was reported in 316 pregnancies (12.3%), and 2 or more factors associated with moderate risk were reported in 1051 (40.9%). Of the 1015 pregnancies for which patients answered voluntary questions about aspirin use, 124 (12.2%) met at least 1 criterion for highest risk of preeclampsia. In 57 (46.0%) of these pregnancies, the patient indicated that their practitioner recommended LDASA; after examination of the medical records, 90 pregnancies (72.6%) had evidence of an LDASA recommendation and 34 (27.4%) did not. Of the 90 pregnancies with a documented LDASA recommendation, 33 patients (36.7%) were unaware of it.Prior preeclampsia (28 weeks' gestation: odds ratio, 20.1; 95% CI, 11.0-36.9) and chronic hypertension (28 weeks' gestation: odds ratio, 17.4; 95% CI, 6.3-48.2) were the primary high-risk factors associated with recommendation of LDASA. (continued) Key Points Question Can potential underuse of prophylactic low-dose aspirin (LDASA) and reasons for underuse be ascertained using data from a prenatal care smartphone app in a qualityimprovement setting? Findings In this cohort study of 2567 pregnancies among 2563 women in a single ...

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