PCORI awards maternal health research grants

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Nov. 28 awarded $80.5 million to support comparative clinical effectiveness studies on the health care and social factors that contribute to inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality. Studies in Arkansas and New York City will compare interventions to help patients maintain a healthy maternal weight, such as grocery delivery or transportation to medical appointments; a North Carolina study will track the results of a multipronged program to reduce hypertensive disorders of pregnancy; and clinics in seven states will compare how well a practice-level intervention and peer support program improve perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms.