The Need for Personalized Care in Perinatal Mental Health
In the realm of mental health care, perinatal mental health necessitates its own unique set of interventions. Being a first-time parent or caring for a new baby alongside older children is a period that presents a plethora of challenges. New babies need to be tended to at a moment’s notice, older kids need to be fed and taken to school or daycare, bills still need to be paid, and in the midst of all of this, moms and dads still need to sleep, eat, and take care of themselves. All of this means that special consideration needs to be taken into account when mental health issues occur. Parents can’t simply take a break or go on vacation when they are overwhelmed. A one-size-fits-all approach is infeasible in these formative times, and perinatal mental health care has to work with a parent’s busy schedule, not get in the way of it.
Understanding Patient-Centered Technology
Patient-centered technology departs from traditional mental health care by accounting for the diverse experiences and availability of individuals. To provide care for a parent that fits into this hectic period of their life, patient-centered technology must do three things:
1. Provide efficient asynchronous communication between the provider and patient to fit into the parents’ schedules.
2. Automatically provide clinicians with patient data with minimal to no input from the patient.
3. Visualize and structure the data and feedback from and about the patient in such a way that lets the provider make actionable decisions regarding patient care.
If these requirements are not met, parents may not have the time to realize the state of their own mental and physical health until it reaches a point of concern.
Moodr Health's Approach
With Moodr Health, these points are addressed by giving providers and patients low-friction ways to communicate and share information through quick messaging with templates and surveys. With wearable integration, key metrics like sleep and activity can be monitored and presented to the care team without the patient having to report on how much rest or movement they’ve been getting. With useful charting for patient data and interactions, providers can view trends in communication, patient activity, and survey results to proactively give care to treat and prevent perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs).journey into parenthood comes with its unique set of challenges, and monitoring mental health during this period is of paramount importance. Wearable tech can play a pivotal role in tracking trends specific to perinatal mental health. For instance, the most common observation from new parents is how little sleep they get in the first few months. Wearables can detect disruptions in sleep patterns, variations in physical activity, and even subtle mood changes that may indicate the onset of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs).
