Assessing the acceptability of using patient portals to recruit pregnant women and new mothers for maternal-child health research.

Objective: Electronic patient portals (PP) allow for targeted and efficient research recruitment. We assessed pre- and postnatal women's recruitment methods preferences, focusing on PP.

Materials and methods: We conducted 4 in-person focus groups with new and expecting mothers. Participants reported demographics, health status, and comfort with technology including PP. We used descriptive statistics to characterize quantitative data and a quasi-deductive approach to analyze qualitative data.

Results: Participants (n = 32) were an average age of 31.9 years, mostly White (65.6%), married (90.6%), and had a 4-year degree or higher (71.9%). Although they preferred PP for research recruitment over other methods (eg, in-person, physical mail), participants suggested potential barriers, including high message frequency, messages feeling like spam, and concerns about confidentiality. Participants suggested solutions, including enhancing autonomy through opt-in methods; integrating their healthcare provider's feedback; sending personal and relevant messages; and assuring their PP data are confidential.

Discussion: PPs are a promising recruitment method for pre- and postnatal women including for maternal-child health studies. To ensure engagement with the method, researchers must respond to known patient concerns and incorporate their feedback into future efforts.

Conclusion: Although PP were generally viewed as an acceptable recruitment method, researchers should be mindful of barriers that may limit its reach and effectiveness.