A study in Obstetrics & Gynecology found clinical depression or anxiety in 1 in 3 women hospitalized with pregnancy complications, and researchers said mental health conditions are a leading cause of maternal mortality in the US. The study "highlights the need for future research regarding screening protocols and implementation strategies of interventions for this at-risk population," researchers said.

Using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association diagnostic threshold for stage 1 hypertension instead of the criteria recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists identifies more women at risk for preeclampsia, according to a study in JAMA Open Network. However, researchers say more studies are needed.

A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that infant mortality was 20 per 1,000 live births among infants who were exposed to opioids but not diagnosed with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, 11 per 1,000 live births among infants with NOWS and 6 per 1,000 live births in the reference group. The findings, based on data involving over 1.1 million mother-infant pairs, also showed that mortality among infants who were exposed to opioids and not diagnosed with NOWS was 72% higher, compared with the reference group.

Researchers studied 55 infants who were born to mothers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Three-quarters of infants in the study were breastfed during their stay at the hospital and 85% were given breast milk after going home, and none of the infants became infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to findings published in Pediatrics.

Guidelines for plastic surgeons on how to advise women who want to remove their breast implants and not replace them were included in the April issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Considerations included the possibility of rupture and the risks of a rare lymphoma associated with breast implants.

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black communities, and amid this health crisis, Black pregnant women may be dealing with limited in-person prenatal care, limited support during labor, social isolation and increased economic stress. "Black women really have these unique experiences, and COVID is substantially adding to the stress of Black people. I imagine we're going to see that in our birthing outcomes," said Dana Sherrod, birth equity and racial justice manager with the Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies, Public Health Alliance.

The Biden administration's funding request for fiscal 2022 includes funds to modernize the nation's public health data collection system, install broadband infrastructure in rural areas, expand scientific and technological research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and continue upgrading the Veterans Affairs EHR system.

Blockchain technology is increasingly seen as an answer to the lack of interoperability in EHRs and could bring about improvements in both care delivery and payment, as well as reductions in fraud, waste and abuse, says David Randall, a resident scholar with the American Research and Policy Institute. Randall says telehealth has also been shown to reduce administrative inefficiency without compromising patient care, and there's likely no turning back in terms of the deployment of these technologies.