Health-related social needs and hypertension-related outcomes among postpartum people with elevated hypertensive risks

We conducted a survey about health-related social needs (HRSNs) among postpartum people at Boston Medical Center, a safety-net hospital in New England. We oversampled for individuals with elevated hypertensive risks, as determined by their participation in a postpartum remote blood pressure monitoring (RBPM) program (see details in Mujic et al, JAHA 2024). We merged the survey data with electronic health record data including data on HRSNs identified during pregnancy-based care, and with blood pressure data from the RBPM program. We used these data to conduct 2 analysis. First, we compared the prevalence of HRSNs during pregnancy-based care (first trimester through 6 weeks postpartum, aka "time period 1") vs postpartum (>6 weeks through 2 years postpartum, aka "time period 2"). Second, we measured associations between HRSNs and various hypertension-related postpartum outcomes, primarily engagement in the RBPM program; secondary outcomes included: persistent postpartum hypertension, receipt of postpartum care, ED visits in the postpartum year, and receipt of primary care in the postpartum year.