Moms@Home: a storytelling mobile app to help manage blood pressure in pregnancy
Development of a Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Management in Pregnancy (Moms@Home)
This pilot will test whether the Moms@Home mobile app plus a home blood pressure monitor helps pregnant people with gestational or chronic high blood pressure monitor and manage their blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 100 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 50 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Sponsor | University of Massachusetts, Worcester Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Worcester, Massachusetts) |
| Trial ID | NCT06835959 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
The Moms@Home pilot is a randomized controlled trial testing a storytelling-based mobile app combined with a digital home blood pressure monitor and a curated HBPM report to improve home blood pressure monitoring among pregnant people with chronic or gestational hypertension. Planned enrollment is 100 participants (about 50% from racial/ethnic minority groups) who are randomized to Moms@Home versus enhanced standard care (BP monitor and diary). The intervention uses culturally relevant storytelling videos, a patient dashboard of BP data, and automated reports to clinicians to support self-care and patient–provider communication. The primary outcome is adherence to home blood pressure monitoring, with secondary aims examining feasibility, acceptability, sustainability, and signals of impact on BP management and pregnancy-specific outcomes.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant people age 18–50 with gestational (20–26 weeks) or chronic (8–26 weeks) hypertension who speak English or Spanish, are patients at UMass Memorial Obstetrics/MFM clinics, are comfortable using a smartphone, and are willing to share home BP data.
Not a fit: Patients with severe hypertension (systolic ≥160 mmHg or diastolic ≥100 mmHg), current preeclampsia, active substance use, serious physical illness preventing device interaction, enrollment in another HBPM program, provider exclusion, or inability to consent are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, Moms@Home could increase adherence to home blood pressure monitoring and improve timely management of high blood pressure in pregnancy, potentially reducing adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Home blood pressure monitoring and mobile health tools have shown promise for improving BP self-management, but the storytelling-based, culturally tailored Moms@Home approach is novel and has limited prior evidence beyond pilot-level work.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-50 * English or Spanish speaking * A diagnosis of gestational (20-26 weeks gestational age) or chronic hypertension (8-26 weeks gestational age) * Singleton or multiple gestation pregnancy, * A patient of the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Obstetrics/Maternal and Fetal Medicine clinics in Worcester, Massachusetts * Willing to share home blood pressure monitoring data * Comfortable with the use of smartphones and mobile apps Exclusion Criteria: * Severe hypertension (Systolic blood pressure ≥160 mmHg or Diastolic blood pressure ≥100 mmHg) * Current diagnosis of preeclampsia * Active substance use * Serious physical illness (e.g., unable to interact with a smart device) * Enrolled in another home blood pressure monitoring program * Excluded from study participation by their provider * Inability to provide informed consent * Prisoners/institutionalized individuals
Where this trial is running
Worcester, Massachusetts
- UMass Memorial Medical Center - Memorial Campus — Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Lara Kovell, MD,MSc — University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester
- Study coordinator: Lara Kovell, MD,MSc
- Email: lara.kovell2@umassmed.edu
- Phone: (508) 856-2772
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.