Timing of Enhanced Prenatal Care and Birth Outcomes in New Jersey’s HealthStart Program

This study compared TRICARE, the health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System, beneficiaries in CenteringPregnancy, an enhanced prenatal care model, to women in individual prenatal care within the same military treatment facility. Maternity patient experience ratings from May 2014 to February 2016 were compiled from the TRICARE Outpatient Satisfaction Survey. Centering patients had 1.91 higher odds of being satisfied with access to care ( p < .01, 95% CI = 1.2-3.1) than women in individual care. Specifically, the saw provider within 15 minutes of appointment measure found Centering patients to have 2.00 higher odds of being satisfied than women in individual care ( p < .01, 95% CI = 1.2-3.3). There were no other statistically significant differences between cohorts. Qualitative responses indicate most Centering patients surveyed had good experiences, appreciated the structure and communication with others, and would recommend the program. Providers identified command/leadership support, dedicated space, and buy-in from all staff as important factors for successful implementation. Enhanced prenatal care models may improve access to and experiences with care. Program evaluation will be important as the military health system continues to implement such programs.

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Estimating the Effect of Prenatal Care on Birth Outcomes

Studies in Classification, Data Analysis, and Knowledge Organization - Classification, (Big) Data Analysis and Statistical Learning ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-55708-3_14 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 127-133

Author(s):

Emiliano Sironi ◽

Massimo Cannas ◽

Francesco Mola

Keyword(s):

Prenatal Care ◽

Birth Outcomes

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The Effects of Prenatal Care on Birth Outcomes: Reconciling a Messy Literature

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190625979.013.375 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hope Corman ◽

Dhaval Dave ◽

Nancy E. Reichman

Keyword(s):

Prenatal Care ◽

Social Services ◽

Support Groups ◽

Birth Outcomes ◽

Low Birthweight ◽

Population Level ◽

Spillover Effects ◽

The United States ◽

Long Term Effects

Prenatal care, one of the most frequently used forms of healthcare in the United States, involves a series of encounters during the gestational period, educates women about pregnancy, monitors existing medical conditions, tests for gestational health conditions, and refers expectant mothers to services such as support groups and social services. However, an increasingly methodologically rigorous literature suggests that the effects of prenatal care timing and quantity on birth outcomes, particularly low birthweight, are modest at the population level. A review and synthesis of the literature suggests that the questions typically being asked may be too narrow and that more attention should be paid to the characterization of infant health, characterization of the content and quality of prenatal care, potential heterogeneous effects, potential indirect effects on health behaviors that may benefit offspring, potential long-term effects, potential spillover effects (i.e., on mothers and their subsequent children), effects of preconceptional and lifetime care, and intergenerational effects.

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