Survey of an Inner City Obstetric Clinic Population
Abstract :
It is widely believed that attendance at regular prenatal care visits improves outcomes for both the infant and the mother. Yet, within the inner city clinic there is a wide disparity in the number of prenatal care visits. Women who fail to receive early and regular prenatal care are at higher risk for complications associated with perinatal morbidity and mortality. Inadequate prenatal care is attributable in part to a combination of poor communication among providers and patients, and perceptions of provider indifference. In order to determine what additional prenatal services clinic attendees desired, a 25 item survey was administered by clinic staff to 18 patients before and 11 patients after delivery (last trimester and first postpartum visit). The survey questions were the same for both surveys with the addition of two questions in the postpartum visit that determined gestational age at the time of delivery, and the adequacy of prenatal care based on missed appointments. All the participants included in the second survey reported delivery at term and had adequate prenatal visits (equal to or greater than 10 visits). The participants in the current study indicated there was a preference for group prenatal care, and that clinic should be limited to two hours with specific classes for childbirth education, breastfeeding instructions, and care of the newborn. The women indicated that group discussions around the common discomforts of pregnancy should be available while providing one-on-one visits with the healthcare provider.
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