Meeting the Needs of Mothers During the Postpartum Period: Using Co-Creation Workshops to Find Technological Solutions

Justine Slomian; Patrick Emonts; Lara Vigneron; Alessandro Acconcia; Jean-Yves Reginster; Mina Oumourgh; Olivier Bruyère

doi:10.2196/resprot.6831

Meeting the Needs of Mothers During the Postpartum Period: Using Co-Creation Workshops to Find Technological Solutions

JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 May 3;6(5):e76. doi: 10.2196/resprot.6831.

Authors

Justine Slomian¹, Patrick Emonts², Lara Vigneron³, Alessandro Acconcia³, Jean-Yves Reginster⁴, Mina Oumourgh⁵, Olivier Bruyère¹

Affiliations

¹ Epidemiology and Health Economics and Support Unit in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
² Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
³ Wallonia e-health Living Lab, The Labs, Liège, Belgium.
⁴ Bone and Cartilage Metabolism, Department of Public Health, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
⁵ Epidemiology and Health Economics, Department of Public Health, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.

Abstract

Background: The postnatal period is associated with many new needs for mothers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to find technological solutions that meet the needs of mothers during the year following childbirth.

Methods: Two co-creation workshops were undertaken with parents and professionals. The aim of the first workshop was to create a list of all the criteria the proposed solution would have to address to meet the needs of mothers after childbirth. The aim of the second workshop was to create solutions in response to the criteria selected during the first workshop.

Results: Parents and health professionals want solutions that include empathy (ie, to help fight against the feelings of abnormality and loneliness), that help mothers in daily life, that are personalized and adapted to different situations, that are educational, and that assures some continuity in their contact with health professionals. In practice, we found that parents and professionals think the solution should be accessible to everyone and available at all times. To address these criteria, technology experts proposed different solutions, such as a forum dedicated to the postpartum period that is supervised by professionals, a centralized website, a system of videoconferencing, an online exchange group, a "gift voucher" system, a virtual reality app, or a companion robot.

Conclusions: The human component seems to be very important during the postnatal period. Nevertheless, technology could be a great ally in helping mothers during the postpartum period. Technology can help reliably inform parents and may also give them the right tools to find supportive people. However, these technologies should be tested in clinical trials.

Keywords: co-creating workshop; co-creation; mothers’ needs; postpartum needs; technological solutions.

©Justine Slomian, Patrick Emonts, Lara Vigneron, Alessandro Acconcia, Jean-Yves Reginster, Mina Oumourgh, Olivier Bruyère. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 03.05.2017.