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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the incorporation of telehealth into maternal healthcare. In this systematic review of 42 studies, published from 2016 to 2021, researchers evaluated the clinical effectiveness of telehealth in maternal healthcare. Studies predominantly involved telehealth interventions (i.e., phone visits, video visits, web-based or smartphone applications, or multimodal protocols) as a component of, or an alternative to, standard in-person prenatal or perinatal care.
Key findings included the following:
Peripartum depression and anxiety outcomes were broadly similar or better with telehealth interventions than with usual care or among waitlist controls across 11 randomized trials.
Usual prenatal care was compared with a …