Clinical Research Directory

Restrictions on Maternity Ward Visits: Current Situation, Challenges and Recommendations in the Auvergne Rhone-Alpes Region (AuRA)

Maternal mental health in the postpartum period is a major public health issue in France. The 2021 National Perinatal Survey highlights high prevalence rates of mental health disorders among mothers, with 27.6% experiencing anxiety disorders, 16.7% experiencing depressive disorders and 5.4% having suicidal thoughts. Between 2016 and 2018, suicide was also the leading cause of maternal mortality in the year following childbirth, underscoring the severity and frequency of these disorders. In response, international guidelines, notably those of the World health Organisation (WHO), as well as national policies such as the 'First 1,000 Days' strategy, emphasise the importance of early, enhanced and individualised postnatal support. In France, this postpartum care tends to be structured around the Early Postnatal Interview and the recommended use of validated screening tools such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). However, the quality of postpartum care depends not only on screening and clinical follow-up, but also on organisational and environmental factors. Among these, the arrangements for maternity ward visits constitute a potential determinant of patients' experiences, likely to influence both their mental state, their rest, the establishment of breastfeeding and, indirectly, the health of the newborn. The exceptional measures implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic, notably the restriction of visits, have shown generally favourable effects, with improved satisfaction among patients and healthcare staff, better conditions for rest, facilitation of breastfeeding and a perceived improvement in working conditions. However, these data were collected in an exceptional health context, which may introduce biases linked to the social, emotional and organisational constraints specific to this period. Their extrapolation to routine practice therefore remains uncertain. Furthermore, in the absence of specific national guidelines governing maternity ward visits, the current regulatory framework remains unclear and practices vary between institutions, often relying on local decisions that have not been scientifically evaluated. Against this backdrop, the VISIMAT study aims to characterise maternity ward visiting arrangements outside of any exceptional circumstances and to assess their impact on the health of mothers and newborns, as well as on healthcare workers' working conditions. Its aim is to provide a scientific basis to inform the development of standardised recommendations and prevention messages.

Prevention of Postpartum Venous Thromboembolism in Women at Intermediate Risk

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is currently the second cause of death in women of reproductive age worldwide. The incidence of VTE during pregnancy is 1.2 to 1.4/1000 women, half of VTE occurring during postpartum and as PE in majority of cases, accounting for 8.8% of maternal deaths. Majority of postpartum VTE occurs in women with one or more moderate risk factors (obesity, caesarean section, postpartum hemorrhage). For these women at intermediate risk, the efficacy and safety of thromboprophylaxis have not been assessed yet during postpartum and international guidelines for pharmacological thromboprophylaxis, based on data extrapolated from other populations, observational studies and small clinical trials are inconsistent across countries. We designed an open-label, randomized, controlled trial, aiming to demonstrate the superiority of a pharmacological thromboprophylaxis strategy with LMWH (LMWH type chosen according to physician / patient's preference) during 6 weeks after delivery (the 6-weeks follow-up visit being matched with usual care) in women at intermediate risk, over no pharmacological thromboprophylaxis.

Prone Plank Exercises for Diastasis Rectus Abdominis in Postpartum Women

The purpose of this study was to compare between the effects of prone plank exercises versus ES for DRA in postpartum women.