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Ann Acad Med Singap · May 2024
ReviewHolistic preconception care: Providing real-time guidance via a mobile app to optimise maternal and child health.
- Chee Wai Ku, Yu Bin Tan, Sze Ing Tan, Chee Onn Ku, Keith M Godfrey, Kok Hian Tan, Shiao-Yng Chan, Liying Yang, Fabian Yap, See Ling Loy, and Jerry Kok Yen Chan.
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore.
- Ann Acad Med Singap. 2024 May 10; 53 (5): 306317306-317.
IntroductionPreconception is a critical period to optimise gamete function and early placental development, essential for successful conception and long-term maternal-child health. However, there is a lack of preconception services and consequently, global fertility rates continue to fall and mothers embark on their pregnancy journey in poor health. There is an urgent need to implement a holistic community-level preconception care programme to optimise risk factors for poor fecundability and improve long-term maternal-child health.MethodWe reviewed current evidence on fecundability lifestyle risk factors, the efficacy of existing preconception interventions and the use of digital platforms for health optimisation, to create a new digital-based preconception intervention model that will be implemented via an app. We present the theory, content and mode of delivery of this holistic model targeting couples planning for pregnancy.ResultsWe propose a new model featuring a user-friendly mobile app, which enables couples to self-assess fecundability risks through a personalised risk score that drives a tailored management plan. This tiered management provides anticipatory guidance supported by evidence-based recommen-dations, and promotes ongoing engagement for behavioural optimisation and specialist referrals as required. Based on the health belief model, this new model delivered with a mobile app seeks to shift couples' perceptions about their susceptibility and severity of subfertility, benefits of making a change and barriers to change.ConclusionOur proposed digital-based intervention model via a mobile app stands to enhance preconcep-tion care by providing personalised risk assessments, real-time feedback and tiered management to optimise preconception reproductive health of couples. This model forms a reference content framework for future preconception care intervention delivery.
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