The Isala Hospital, together with the Radboudumc and Moovd, will conduct research into a new preventive treatment method for women who have experienced a traumatic birth. The three parties will receive 400,000 euros from the European Regional Development Fund for this.
Moovd is a developer of digital therapies. The company is conducting a study into this together with the two hospitals. And that is necessary. It is estimated that 9 to 21 percent of women who have given birth experience childbirth as a traumatic event. About 3 to 4 percent of these births lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with long-term complaints.
This is not always properly recognized and sometimes has major consequences for the mother and the family. They may develop PTSD symptoms, such as reliving the birth and increased alertness. It also affects the return to work and the desire for a possible next pregnancy, for example out of fear of such a traumatic experience again.
The current preferred treatment for this is often limited and waiting lists are long. That is why a study is now starting into a new, digital treatment method. Peter Mulders of Radboud University Medical Center: “We are starting with a feasibility study. We then want to determine the effectiveness of the treatment in a larger study. If this treatment is widely and easily available, it can, if successful, help a large number of future parents. help, especially in the important period after childbirth.”