Dissemination and Implementation of a Community-driven Approach to Improve the Health of Women, Infants, and Families: Pre-implementation Phase to Adapt Staying Healthy After Childbirth (STAC)

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are windows into chronic disease risk. The immediate postpartum (PP) period (6 weeks) is the highest risk and most important period for prevention of serious adverse outcomes with long term consequences. This project focuses on a multicomponent evidence-based intervention, Staying Healthy After Childbirth (STAC) that has been tested in a Midwest academic hospital. The intervention has been shown to be effective at addressing factors associated with health promotion priorities in populations with high levels of health disparities and inequities by increasing access to hypertension (HTN) care in the critical PP window by providing patients a home blood pressure monitor and access to a dedicated healthcare team that provides remote BP surveillance and antihypertensive medication titration. To optimize STAC to prevent and reduce racial disparities in immediate PP morbidity and mortality, deeper engagement with community stakeholders is critical.

This is a qualitative investigation designed as pre-implementation of the Adapted Staying Healthy After Childbirth (A-STAC) intervention.

STAC-Community Advisory Board (CAB) members and Lived Experience Group members will provide qualitative data through semi-structured interviews regarding implementation factors of STAC, including priorities for adaptation, barriers and facilitators to implementation, and usability. Rapid qualitative analysis will be used to glean themes from the qualitative data. A second round of semi-structured focus groups using the nominal decision-making process will be conducted to address the revisions to implementation strategies and determine priorities for A-STAC. Next, abbreviated study cycles to test implementation (Plan-Do-Study-Act or PDSA cycles) will take place, with Community Based Organization (CBO) partners and participating Black pregnant persons. After each PDSA cycle, interviews and surveys with patients and staff will be conducted. Rapid qualitative analysis will again be used to gain information about the usability of A-STAC from the focus group; this information will then be used to refine the A-STAC intervention. This process will be repeated for a second PDSA cycle (up to three PDSA cycles total), after which the A-STAC intervention will be finalized for implementation (registered to a separate ClinicalTrials.gov record).

Step 1: Conduct interviews with STAC-CAB members (8-12 members) and Lived Experience Group members (8-12 members) to evaluate implementation factors and priorities for adaptation of STAC.

Use rapid qualitative analysis process to glean implementation strategies.