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The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Dec 2015Prenatal care is recommended during pregnancy as a method to improve neonatal and maternal outcomes. Improving the use of prenatal care is important, particularly for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Prenatal care is recommended during pregnancy as a method to improve neonatal and maternal outcomes. Improving the use of prenatal care is important, particularly for women at moderate to high risk of adverse outcomes. Incentives are sometimes utilized to encourage women to attend prenatal care visits.
OBJECTIVES
To determine whether incentives are an effective tool to increase utilization of timely prenatal care among women.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (31 January 2015) and the reference lists of all retrieved studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, and cluster-RCTs that utilized direct incentives to pregnant women explicitly linked to initiation and frequency of prenatal care were included. Incentives could include cash, vouchers, coupons or products not generally offered to women as a standard of prenatal care. Comparisons were to no incentives and to incentives not linked directly to utilization of care. We also planned to compare different types of interventions, i.e. monetary versus products or services.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion and methodological quality. Two review authors independently extracted data. Data were checked for accuracy.
MAIN RESULTS
We identified 11 studies (19 reports), six of which we excluded. Five studies, involving 11,935 pregnancies were included, but only 1893 pregnancies contributed data regarding our specified outcomes. Incentives in the studies included cash, gift card, baby carrier, baby blanket or taxicab voucher and were compared with no incentives. Meta-analysis was performed for only one outcome 'Return for postpartum care' and this outcome was not pre-specified in our protocol. Other analyses were restricted to data from single studies.Trials were at a moderate risk of bias overall. Randomization and allocation were adequate and risk of selection bias was low in three studies and unclear in two studies. None of the studies were blinded to the participants. Blinding of outcome assessors was adequate in one study, but was limited or not described in the remaining four studies. Risk of attrition was deemed to be low in all studies that contributed data to the review. Two of the studies reported or analyzed data in a manner that was not consistent with the predetermined protocol and thus were deemed to be at high risk. The other three studies were low risk for reporting bias. The largest two of the five studies comprising the majority of participants took place in rural, low-income, homogenously Hispanic communities in Central America. This setting introduces a number of confounding factors that may affect generalizability of these findings to ethnically and economically diverse urban communities in developed countries.The five included studies of incentive programs did not report any of this review's primary outcomes: preterm birth, small-for-gestational age, or perinatal death.In terms of this review's secondary outcomes, pregnant women receiving incentives were no more likely to initiate prenatal care (risk ratio (RR) 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78 to 1.38, one study, 104 pregnancies). Pregnant women receiving incentives were more likely to attend prenatal visits on a frequent basis (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.38, one study, 606 pregnancies) and obtain adequate prenatal care defined by number of "procedures" such as testing blood sugar or blood pressure, vaccinations and counseling about breastfeeding and birth control (mean difference (MD) 5.84, 95% CI 1.88 to 9.80, one study, 892 pregnancies). In contrast, women who received incentives were more likely to deliver by cesarean section (RR 1.97, 95% CI 1.18 to 3.30, one study, 979 pregnancies) compared to those women who did not receive incentives.Women who received incentives were no more likely to return for postpartum care based on results of meta-analysis (average RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.21 to 2.64, two studies, 833 pregnancies, Tau² = 0.81, I² = 98%). However, there was substantial heterogeneity in this analysis so a subgroup analysis was performed and this identified a clear difference between subgroups based on the type of incentive being offered. In one study, women receiving non-cash incentives were more likely to return for postpartum care (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.47, 240 pregnancies) than women who did not receive non-cash incentives. In another study, women receiving cash incentives were less likely to return for postpartum care (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.62, 593 pregnancies) than women who did not receive cash incentives.No data were identified for the following secondary outcomes: frequency of prenatal care; pre-eclampsia; satisfaction with birth experience; maternal mortality; low birthweight (less than 2500 g); infant macrosomia (birthweight greater than 4000 g); or five-minute Apgar less than seven.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The included studies did not report on this review's main outcomes: preterm birth, small-for-gestational age, or perinatal death. There is limited evidence that incentives may increase utilization and quality of prenatal care, but may also increase cesarean rate. Overall, there is insufficient evidence to fully evaluate the impact of incentives on prenatal care initiation. There are conflicting data as to the impact of incentives on return for postpartum care. Two of the five studies which accounted for the majority of women in this review were conducted in rural, low-income, overwhelmingly Hispanic communities in Central America, thus limiting the external validity of these results.There is a need for high-quality RCTs to determine whether incentive program increase prenatal care use and improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. Incentive programs, in particular cash-based programs, as suggested in this review and in several observational studies may improve the frequency and ensure adequate quality of prenatal care. No peer-reviewed data have been made publicly available for one of the largest incentive-based prenatal programs - the statewide Medicaid-based programs within the United States. These observational data represent an important starting point for future research with significant implications for policy development and allocation of healthcare resources. The disparate findings related to attending postpartum care should also be further explored as the findings were limited by the number of studies. Future large RCTs are needed to focus on the outcomes of preterm birth, small-for-gestational age and perinatal outcomes.
Topics: Adult; Cesarean Section; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Motivation; Postnatal Care; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prenatal Care; Quality of Health Care; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 26671418
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009916.pub2 -
Journal of Women's Health (2002) Aug 2014Acculturation may influence women's perceptions of health care experiences and may explain the epidemiologic paradox, whereby foreign-born women have lower rates of...
BACKGROUND
Acculturation may influence women's perceptions of health care experiences and may explain the epidemiologic paradox, whereby foreign-born women have lower rates of adverse birth outcomes than United States (US)-born women. We evaluated the relationship between maternal acculturation and specific dimensions of prenatal interpersonal processes of care (IPC) in ethnically diverse women.
METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis of 1243 multiethnic, postpartum women who delivered at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Walnut Creek or San Francisco General Hospital. Women retrospectively reported on their experiences in seven domains of IPC during their pregnancy pertaining to communication, decision making, and interpersonal style. The primary independent variables were four measures of maternal acculturation: birthplace, English language proficiency, the number of years residing in the US, and age at immigration to the US. Generalized linear models, stratified by infant outcome, measured the association between each maternal acculturation measure and specific IPC domains while adjusting for type of health insurance, demographic, and reproductive factors.
RESULTS
Approximately 60% of the sample was foreign-born, 36% reported low English proficiency, 43% had resided in the US <10 years, and 35% were age 20 years or older when they immigrated to the US. Over 64% of the women reported having public insurance during pregnancy. In adjusted analyses among women who delivered term and normal birth weight infants, less acculturated women and women with non-private health insurance were more likely to have higher mean IPC scores when compared to more acculturated or US-born women and women with private health insurance, respectively.
CONCLUSION
In a large and ethnically diverse sample of childbearing women in Northern California, less acculturated pregnant women reported better prenatal care experiences than more acculturated and US-born women, another dimension of the "epidemiologic paradox." However, the relationship between acculturation and IPC, as reported during the postpartum period, differed according to infant outcomes.
Topics: Acculturation; Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; California; Communication; Cross-Sectional Studies; Decision Making; Female; Humans; Infant; Linear Models; Patient Satisfaction; Physician-Patient Relations; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prenatal Care; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Socioeconomic Factors; United States
PubMed: 24979178
DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2013.4585 -
Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem 2020to investigate puerperal women who received guidance on childbirth during prenatal care and the behaviors experienced in the labor process within the context of good...
OBJECTIVES
to investigate puerperal women who received guidance on childbirth during prenatal care and the behaviors experienced in the labor process within the context of good obstetric practices from the perspective of puerperal women.
METHODS
a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study conducted with 203 puerperal women admitted to the shared rooms of a teaching hospital between May and July 2017 during the immediate postpartum period. For data collection, was used an instrument adapted from the hospital questionnaire for puerperal women that was developed by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.
RESULTS
only 48.3% of puerperal women received the eight orientations regarding good obstetric practices during prenatal care, which were not experienced in the labor process, especially regarding referral and behaviors of the hospital team. Unfavorable socioeconomic conditions were significant in relation to guidelines provided during prenatal care.
CONCLUSIONS
prenatal care was negatively evaluated and there was lack of compliance with good obstetric practices and non-recommended behaviors in the labor process in the maternity ward.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Parturition; Patient Satisfaction; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Quality of Health Care
PubMed: 32609177
DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0222 -
Journal of Perinatology : Official... Nov 2017Infographics or information graphics are easy-to-understand visual representation of knowledge. An infographic outlining the course of an extremely preterm infant and...
Infographics or information graphics are easy-to-understand visual representation of knowledge. An infographic outlining the course of an extremely preterm infant and various potential complications encountered during a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay was developed. This infographic can be used to discuss outcomes of prematurity during prenatal counseling and while the infant is in the NICU.
Topics: Humans; Infant, Extremely Premature; Infant, Newborn; Information Dissemination; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Intensive Care, Neonatal; Patient Education as Topic; Prenatal Care
PubMed: 29138522
DOI: 10.1038/jp.2017.65 -
Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem Jun 2019To understand the perceptions of pregnant women about the care received during prenatal care, in the field of primary health care.
OBJECTIVE
To understand the perceptions of pregnant women about the care received during prenatal care, in the field of primary health care.
METHOD
Qualitative study, based on Grounded Theory. Data collection was performed from August to December 2016, through a semi-structured interview with 12 pregnant women who received prenatal care in the city of Florianópolis/SC/Brazil. Data collection and analysis were performed concomitantly. Data analysis was performed using open and axial coding.
RESULTS
Three categories were elaborated: Care before and during gestation, Participation in groups of pregnant women, and Quality care during pregnancy.
CONCLUSION
The perceptions of the pregnant women about the care received during the prenatal care is related to the care given, humanized reception, consideration of the pregnant woman's subjectivity and support in the difficult moments that make this period satisfactory.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Brazil; Female; Ferrous Compounds; Folic Acid; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Unplanned; Pregnant Women; Prenatal Care; Primary Health Care; Qualitative Research; Quality of Health Care; Vitamin B Complex; Young Adult
PubMed: 31188972
DOI: 10.1590/1983-1447.2019.20180211 -
Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and... Dec 2023Existing research indicates that pregnant women who conceived through fertility treatment might experience more stress and anxiety compared to women who conceived... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Existing research indicates that pregnant women who conceived through fertility treatment might experience more stress and anxiety compared to women who conceived spontaneously. Therefore, these women might have additional antenatal care needs.
METHODS
A search for both quantitative and qualitative studies was performed in PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and MEDLINE through May 2021, guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. 21 articles met the inclusion criteria. After methodological quality appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraising Tool, 15 studies were included in the review.
RESULTS
Analysis of the studies identified behavioral, relational/social, emotional, and cognitive needs and women's preference about maternity care. Women who conceived through fertility treatment reported lower social and physical functioning scores and elevated levels of anxiety and depression compared to women who conceived spontaneously. They reported difficulties adjusting to pregnancy and experienced a care gap between discharge from the fertility clinic and going to local maternity care services for their first consultation, and a care gap postpartum.
CONCLUSIONS
Women who conceived through fertility treatment have additional antenatal care needs. We recommend to offer these women more frequent check-ins, and to pay attention to the impact of their infertility and treatment on their pregnancy.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Maternal Health Services; Postpartum Period; Pregnant Women; Prenatal Care; Qualitative Research
PubMed: 36508566
DOI: 10.1080/0167482X.2022.2148099 -
PloS One 2022Mistreatment, discrimination, and poor psycho-social support during childbirth at health facilities are common in lower- and middle-income countries. Despite a policy...
INTRODUCTION
Mistreatment, discrimination, and poor psycho-social support during childbirth at health facilities are common in lower- and middle-income countries. Despite a policy directive from the World Health Organisation (WHO), no operational model exists that effectively demonstrates incorporation of these guidelines in routine facility-based maternity services. This early-phase implementation research aims to develop, implement, and test the feasibility of a service-delivery strategy to promote the culture of supportive and dignified maternity care (SDMC) at public health facilities.
METHODS
Guided by human-centred design approach, the implementation of this study will be divided into two phases: development of intervention, and implementing and testing feasibility. The service-delivery intervention will be co-created along with relevant stakeholders and informed by contextual evidence that is generated through formative research. It will include capacity-building of maternity teams, and the improvement of governance and accountability mechanisms within public health facilities. The technical content will be primarily based on WHO's intrapartum care guidelines and mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) materials. A mixed-method, pre-post design will be used for feasibility assessment. The intervention will be implemented at six secondary-level healthcare facilities in two districts of southern Sindh, Pakistan. Data from multiple sources will be collected before, during and after the implementation of the intervention. We will assess the coverage of the intervention, challenges faced, and changes in maternity teams' understanding and attitude towards SDMC. Additionally, women's maternity experiences and psycho-social well-being-will inform the success of the intervention.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Evidence from this implementation research will enhance understanding of health systems challenges and opportunities around SDMC. A key output from this research will be the SDMC service-delivery package, comprising a comprehensive training package (on inclusive, supportive and dignified maternity care) and a field tested strategy to ensure implementation of recommended practices in routine, facility-based maternity care. Adaptation, Implementation and evaluation of SDMC package in diverse setting will be way forward. The study has been registered with clinicaltrials.gov (Registration number: NCT05146518).
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Delivery, Obstetric; Feasibility Studies; Female; Government Programs; Humans; Implementation Science; Infant, Newborn; Maternal Health Services; Maternal Mortality; Obstetrics; Pakistan; Parturition; Perinatal Mortality; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Psychosocial Support Systems; Public Health; Quality of Health Care; Respect; Social Inclusion
PubMed: 35139119
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263635 -
International Journal of Medical... Feb 2023Exploitation of telehealth in prenatal care has the potential to reduce the access barrier to care and empower women to participate in their own care. This review aims... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Exploitation of telehealth in prenatal care has the potential to reduce the access barrier to care and empower women to participate in their own care. This review aims to assess the practical implications of virtual prenatal care and identify the needs and experiences associated with it.
METHODS
A systematic literature review was conducted in four electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane. The keywords used were "pregnancy", "virtual visit", "prenatal", and others. The search included all relevant studies published from 2011 to 2021 written in English. Articles mentioning virtual prenatal care incorporating synchronous communication between pregnant women and health care professionals were included. Those unrelated to prenatal care or employing asynchronous means of virtual care were excluded. The review was structured following the PRISMA guidelines. Different quality appraisal methods such as JBI, CASP, NOS, and Cochrane were used to assess the methodological quality of the literature. The data were then analyzed based on the categorization of the studies.
RESULTS
Overall, 2863 articles were identified, of which 19 met the inclusion criteria after removing duplicates, screening of abstracts, and full text-four articles identified from hand-searching were incorporated, making a total of 23 eligible articles for the review. The studies' findings revealed the preference for implementing cost-effective virtual care based on the resource set, technological literacy, and consistent accessibility. Further, no significant differences in clinical outcomes were observed between two modes of care, virtual and in-person. The higher satisfaction by pregnant women and healthcare professionals indicated the continuity of the care. In addition, the hybrid model of virtual prenatal care integrated with traditional in-person care was acceptable to both low-risk and high-risk pregnant women. Virtual prenatal care substantially reduced travel time and absences from work, drops in clinic wait time and no-show rate, limited the risk of exposure during a pandemic, and increased self-accountability.
CONCLUSION
Virtual prenatal care offers predominant advantages over in-person when it is carefully designed with the inclusion of pregnant women and healthcare professionals' needs. Evidence showed that providing adequate technology training, proper instruction, and guidelines for initial setup and assurance of a reliable and accessible system is vital in increasing access to care.
Topics: Pregnancy; Humans; Female; Pregnant Women; Prenatal Care; Quality of Health Care; Health Personnel; Delivery of Health Care
PubMed: 36565547
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104964 -
Journal of Perinatal Medicine Sep 2021This review examined prenatal care provided to incarcerated women to identify areas where improvement is needed, and examined current legislative gaps such that they can... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
This review examined prenatal care provided to incarcerated women to identify areas where improvement is needed, and examined current legislative gaps such that they can be addressed to ensure uniform templates of care be instituted at women's prisons.
METHODS
Data were compiled from 2000-2021 citations in PubMed and Google Scholar using the keywords: prison AND prenatal care AND pregnancy.
RESULTS
Although the right to health care of inmates is protected under the Eight Amendment to the United States Constitution, the literature suggests that prenatal care of incarcerated individuals is variable and would benefit from uniform federal standards. Inconsistency in reporting requirements has created a scarcity of data for this population, making standardization of care difficult. Although incarceration may result in improved access to care that women may not have had in their community, issues of shackling, inadequate prenatal diet, lack of access to comprehensive mental health management, and poor availability of opioid use disorder (OUD) management such as Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) amd Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP), history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are just a few areas that must be focused on in prenatal care. After birth, mother-baby units (MBU) to enhance maternal-fetal bonding also should be a prison standard.
CONCLUSIONS
In addition to implementing templates of care specifically directed to this subgroup of women, standardized state and federal legislation are recommended to ensure that uniform standards of prenatal care are enforced and also to encourage the reporting of data regarding pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in correctional facilities.
Topics: Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Maternal Health; Mental Disorders; Mother-Child Relations; Object Attachment; Postnatal Care; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prenatal Care; Prisoners; Prisons; Quality Improvement; United States
PubMed: 34167182
DOI: 10.1515/jpm-2021-0145 -
Maternal & Child Nutrition Dec 2018The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation during pregnancy to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Multiple... (Review)
Review
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation during pregnancy to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementation in pregnancy has been implemented in select countries and emerging evidence suggests that MMN supplementation in pregnancy may provide additional benefits compared to IFA alone. In 2015, WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Micronutrient Initiative held a "Technical Consultation on MMN supplements in pregnancy: implementation considerations for successful incorporation into existing programmemes," which included a call for indicators needed for monitoring, evaluation, and surveillance of MMN supplementation programmes. Currently, global surveillance and monitoring data show that overall IFA supplementation programmes suffer from low coverage and intake adherence, despite inclusion in national policies. Common barriers that limit the effectiveness of IFA-which also apply to MMN programmes-include weak supply chains, low access to antenatal care services, low-quality behaviour change interventions to support and motivate women, and weak or non-existent monitoring systems used for programme improvement. The causes of these barriers in a given country need careful review to resolve them. As countries heighten their focus on supplementation during pregnancy, or if they decide to initiate or transition into MMN supplementation, a priority is to identify key monitoring indicators to address these issues and support effective programmes. National and global monitoring and surveillance data on IFA supplementation during pregnancy are primarily derived from cross-sectional surveys and, on a more routine basis, through health and logistics management information systems. Indicators for IFA supplementation exist; however, the new indicators for MMN supplementation need to be incorporated. We reviewed practice-based evidence, guided by the WHO/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logic model for vitamin and mineral interventions in public health programmes, and used existing manuals, published literature, country reports, and the opinion of experts, to identify monitoring, evaluation, and surveillance indicators for MMN supplementation programmes. We also considered cross-cutting indicators that could be used across programme settings, as well as those specific to common delivery models, such as antenatal care services. We then described mechanisms for collecting these data, including integration within existing government monitoring systems, as well as other existing or proposed systems. Monitoring data needs at all stages of the programme lifecycle were considered, as well as the feasibility and cost of data collection. We also propose revisions to global-, national-, and subnational-surveillance indicators based on these reviews.
Topics: Dietary Supplements; Female; Global Health; Humans; Micronutrients; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care; Public Health Surveillance
PubMed: 29271064
DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12501