How Women Choose Prenatal Care Providers in the Twin Tiers

Authors

  • Alicia Harbison, DO, PGY-2 Robert Packer Hospital
  • Michael Gillan, DO Robert Packer Hospital
  • Belinda Bombei ACOFP

Abstract

Objective: There are three main options for women seeking prenatal care: Obstetricians (OB), Midwives (MW), and Family Medicine physicians (FM). This study aims at determining how women choose prenatal care providers, at what point in pregnancy women choose their provider, what factors guide their choice, if women would repeat their choice, and if they know that FM can provide prenatal care.

Methods: A list of obstetrical patients who delivered at Institute Name between June 1, 2015, and May 31, 2016, was obtained from Epic, institute’s electronic medical record. Patient exclusion criteria: patients under the age of 18 during delivery, patients who delivered stillbirths, patients that had died since delivery, and deaf patients who may not be able to participate in a phone call. Surveys were conducted via phone during normal business hours. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize survey data.

Results: A total of 212 patients were surveyed; average age of a participant was 27 years old. On average, they had 3 pregnancies of which 2 resulted in live births. The majority of patients saw an OB for care. Women chose based off recommendations and prior usage. Most women selected a provider during the trimester they discovered pregnancy. Of the 88 patients who received survey 1, 52% were aware FM can perform prenatal care and 50% were willing to see FM for care.

Conclusion: A significant number of women are willing to see FM for prenatal care. FM should receive additional prenatal training and exposure to prenatal patients.

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Published

2019-09-06

How to Cite

Harbison, DO, PGY-2, Alicia, et al. “How Women Choose Prenatal Care Providers in the Twin Tiers”. Osteopathic Family Physician, vol. 10, no. 6, Sept. 2019, https://ofpjournal.com/index.php/ofp/article/view/619.

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