Telephone social support for low-income pregnant women

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether social support can be provided to low-income pregnant women by telephone. DESIGN: A qualitative pilot study. SETTING: Nonurban prenatal clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 20 pregnant women who were eligible for Medicaid, spoke English, were at least 24 weeks gestation, and had a telephone or access to a telephone. RESULTS: The Baby-Beep pilot program provides strong evidence that a telephone social support intervention is feasible and highly acceptable to a group of low-income pregnant women. Through the use of the telephone, a strong rapport appeared to develop between the health care provider and the women because nonverbal cues were eliminated. The study also found that collaboration between mental health nurses and prenatal care providers could help create safe, cost-effective psychosocial care for pregnant women. CONCLUSION: The Baby-Beep pilot study provides important information about one way to deliver social support to low-income women who may have little or no social support and feel alienated in a clinical setting.