NCT07214597

NICU Utilization of Remote Voice Technology to Improve mateRnal Experience (NURTURE)

NICU Utilization of Remote Voice Technology to Improve mateRnal Experience (NURTURE): A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 150 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Vanderbilt University Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The study's objective is to conduct a Phase II randomized controlled trial examining the preliminary efficacy of the VoiceLove app compared to usual care on maternal postpartum depression in mothers with infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Primary aim: Assess the effects of VoiceLove on maternal postpartum depression, measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The estimates from this study will be used for a future definitive Phase III trial. Secondary aim: Assess feasibility, acceptability, and patterns of communication and engagement among mothers, partners, and NICU clinicians during the NICU hospitalization, measured through app usage metrics, satisfaction surveys, and qualitative interviews. Additionally, we will evaluate effects of infant length of stay.

Detailed description

This study is a randomized control trial that will test VoiceLove, a secure mobile app designed to help families communicate with their infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major depressive disorder and is one of the most frequent childbirth complications. Mother-infant separation during the initial postpartum period, such as infant admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), impacts mother-infant bonding and increases PPD risk, which is 40% higher in mothers with children admitted to the NICU. The impact of PPD is substantial: reported poor quality of life, high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse or self-harm, and long-term impairments in child cognitive and emotional development. PPD impact on child development has potential to be magnified in the already vulnerable preterm infant population. Care in the NICU is, by design, focused on the health of the infant and ill-equipped to address parental mental health. High stress and burnout among NICU staff combined with limited resources for development of psychosocial programs targeting the parents of NICU patients underscore the need for simple, low-cost, and easily implemented interventions aimed at improving parental connectedness and reducing postpartum mental health disorders. Lack of parental connectedness to their neonate during a NICU stay and low social support are two of the most powerful risk factors for developing PPD. Risk of PPD is decreased when parents have more contact, either physical or verbal, with their infant and a higher perceived social support system. When physical contact is not possible, voice contact may help foster feelings of connectedness to both the infant in the NICU, and to the parents' social circle. The medical team is another critical source of support poised to increase parental mental health. Mothers of infants in the NICU report increased depressive symptoms when their perception of nurse support is low, while increased communication between parents and the medical team improves parental well-being. Increased social support from loved ones and the medical care team is well positioned to significantly reduce PPD severity in parents of NICU infants. Thus, facilitation of communication between parents and healthcare providers, as well as between their friends and family, presents a low-cost, low effort means to dramatically impact parental mental health and well-being during a NICU admission. VoiceLove Inc has developed a novel HIPAA-compliant mobile application that offers programmatic support and curated digital content (e.g., lullabies, music, environmental sounds) for infant-family interactions and enables expanded family engagement in hospital settings. VoiceLove mobile app circumvents barriers to communication through an electronic venue for direct patient-family-clinician interaction. Specifically for clinicians, VoiceLove is a safe and time-efficient tool for direct communication with absent family members, allowing more time for direct patient care.

Conditions

• Postpartum Depression (PPD)
• Self-Efficacy
• Parental Anxiety
• Engagement, Patient
• Usability
• Length of Stay

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	VoiceLove mobile phone application	Access to VoiceLove app to facilitate secure, real-time communication between family members and NICU patients.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-02-04
• Primary completion: 2028-01-01
• Completion: 2028-01-01
• First posted: 2025-10-09
• Last updated: 2026-02-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study