The cost of prenatal care attendance and pregnancy outcomes in low-income working women

Geospatial and Socioeconomic Factors Interact to Predict Management and Outcomes in Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery: A Single Institution Study of 740 Patients

OBJECTIVE

Determine interactions between geospatial and socioeconomic factors influencing cleft lip and/or cleft palate (CL/P) management and outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective review and outcomes analysis (n = 740).

SETTING

Urban academic tertiary care center.

PATIENTS

740 patients undergoing primary (CL/P) surgery from 2009 to 2019.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES

Prenatal evaluation by plastic surgery, nasoalveolar molding, cleft lip adhesion, and age at CL/P surgery.

RESULTS

Prenatal evaluation by plastic surgery was predicted by the interaction between higher patient median block group income and shorter patient distance from the care center (OR = 1.07, p = 0.022). Nasoalveolar molding was also predicted by the interaction between higher patient median block group income and shorter distance from the care center (OR = 1.28, p = 0.016), whereas cleft lip adhesion was predicted by higher patient median block group income alone (OR = 0.41, p < 0.001). Lower patient median block group income predicted later age at cleft lip (β = -67.25, p = 0.011) and cleft palate (β = -46.35, p = 0.050) repair surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Distance from the care center and lower median income by block group interacted to significantly predict prenatal evaluation by plastic surgery and nasoalveolar molding for patients with CL/P at a large, urban, tertiary care center. Patients living farthest from the care center who received prenatal evaluation by plastic surgery or who underwent nasoalveolar molding had higher median block group income. Future work will determine mechanisms perpetuating these barriers to care.

Obesity in pregnancy: infant health service utilisation and costs on the NHS

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the direct healthcare cost of infants born to overweight or obese mothers to the National Health Service in the UK.

DESIGN

Retrospective prevalence-based study.

SETTING

Combined linked anonymised electronic data sets on a cohort of mother-child pairs enrolled on the Growing Up in Wales: Environments for Healthy Living (EHL) study. Infants were categorised according to maternal early-pregnancy body mass index (BMI): healthy weight mother (18.5≤BMI<25 kg/m(2); n=342), overweight mother (25≤BMI≤29.9 kg/m(2); n=157) and obese mother (BMI≥30; n=110).

PARTICIPANTS

609 singleton pregnancies with available health service records and an antenatal maternal BMI.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE

Total health service utilisation and direct healthcare costs for providing these services in the year 2012-2013. Costs are calculated as cost of the infant (no maternal costs considered) and are related to health service usage from birth to age 1 year.

RESULTS

A strong association existed between healthcare usage cost and BMI (p<0.001). Mean total costs were 72% higher among children born to obese mothers (rate ratio (RR) 1.72, 95% CI 1.71 to 1.73) compared with infants born to healthy weight mothers. Higher costings were attributed to a significantly greater number (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.84) and duration (RR 1.55, 95% CI 1.37 to 1.74) of inpatient visits and a higher number of general practitioner visits (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.16). Total mean additional resource cost was estimated at £65.13 for infants born to overweight mothers and £1138.11 for infants born to obese mothers, when compared with infants of healthy weight mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

Increasingly infants born to mothers with high BMIs consume additional health service resources in the first year of life; this was apparent across inpatient and general practitioner services. Considering both maternal and infant health service use, interventions that cost less than £2310 per person in reducing obesity early pregnancy could be cost-effective.

Obesity in pregnancy: a retrospective prevalence-based study on health service utilisation and costs on the NHS

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the direct healthcare cost of being overweight or obese throughout pregnancy to the National Health Service in Wales.

DESIGN

Retrospective prevalence-based study.

SETTING

Combined linked anonymised electronic datasets gathered on a cohort of women enrolled on the Growing Up in Wales: Environments for Healthy Living (EHL) study. Women were categorised into two groups: normal body mass index (BMI; n=260) and overweight/obese (BMI>25; n=224).

PARTICIPANTS

484 singleton pregnancies with available health service records and an antenatal BMI.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE

Total health service utilisation (comprising all general practitioner visits and prescribed medications, inpatient admissions and outpatient visits) and direct healthcare costs for providing these services in the year 2011-2012. Costs are calculated as cost of mother (no infant costs are included) and are related to health service usage throughout pregnancy and 2 months following delivery.

RESULTS

There was a strong association between healthcare usage cost and BMI (p<0.001). Adjusting for maternal age, parity, ethnicity and comorbidity, mean total costs were 23% higher among overweight women (rate ratios (RR) 1.23, 95% CI 1.230 to 1.233) and 37% higher among obese women (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.38 to 1.39) compared with women with normal weight. Adjusting for smoking, consumption of alcohol, or the presence of any comorbidities did not materially affect the results. The total mean cost estimates were £3546.3 for normal weight, £4244.4 for overweight and £4717.64 for obese women.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased health service usage and healthcare costs during pregnancy are associated with increasing maternal BMI; this was apparent across all health services considered within this study. Interventions costing less than £1171.34 per person could be cost-effective if they reduce healthcare usage among obese pregnant women to levels equivalent to that of normal weight women.

Women's and care providers' perspectives of quality prenatal care: a qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Much attention has been given to the adequacy of prenatal care use in promoting healthy outcomes for women and their infants. Adequacy of use takes into account the timing of initiation of prenatal care and the number of visits. However, there is emerging evidence that the quality of prenatal care may be more important than adequacy of use. The purpose of our study was to explore women's and care providers' perspectives of quality prenatal care to inform the development of items for a new instrument, the Quality of Prenatal Care Questionnaire. We report on the derivation of themes resulting from this first step of questionnaire development.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive approach was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 pregnant women and 40 prenatal care providers recruited from five urban centres across Canada. Data were analyzed using inductive open and then pattern coding. The final step of analysis used a deductive approach to assign the emergent themes to broader categories reflective of the study's conceptual framework.

RESULTS

The three main categories informed by Donabedian's model of quality health care were structure of care, clinical care processes, and interpersonal care processes. Structure of care themes included access, physical setting, and staff and care provider characteristics. Themes under clinical care processes were health promotion and illness prevention, screening and assessment, information sharing, continuity of care, non-medicalization of pregnancy, and women-centredness. Interpersonal care processes themes were respectful attitude, emotional support, approachable interaction style, and taking time. A recurrent theme woven throughout the data reflected the importance of a meaningful relationship between a woman and her prenatal care provider that was characterized by trust.

CONCLUSIONS

While certain aspects of structure of care were identified as being key dimensions of quality prenatal care, clinical and interpersonal care processes emerged as being most essential to quality care. These processes are important as they have a role in mitigating adverse outcomes, promoting involvement of women in their own care, and keeping women engaged in care. The findings suggest key considerations for the planning, delivery, and evaluation of prenatal care. Most notably, care should be woman-centred and embrace shared decision making as an essential element.

Response to Homeless Childbearing Women’s Health Care Learning Needs

The study findings showed that homeless childbearing women are at greatest risk for cancer, violence, poor nutrition, sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Collaborating with personnel at a women’s shelter, the authors studied homeless childbearing women’s knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about general health promotion, healthy pregnancy promotion, and preterm labor prevention. Guided by the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction and Change, 45 homeless women participated in focus groups. They were 28.7 years old (range 18-44 years), and approximately 87% of these women had custody of their children. Three themes identified included things you do to stay healthy during pregnancy, where you learned about staying healthy, and women’s knowledge about preterm labor and general health promotion. These findings informed an 8-week educational session (1 hr/week). During the past year, four 8-week sessions were conducted with attendance between 8 and 14 participants. Each week a different health topic was discussed incorporating the associated unique challenges of homelessness.

Prenatal care utilization for mothers from low-income areas of New Mexico, 1989-1999

BACKGROUND

Prenatal care is considered to be an important component of primary health care. Our study compared prenatal care utilization and rates of adverse birth outcomes for mothers from low- and higher-income areas of New Mexico between 1989 and 1999.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Prenatal care indicators included the number of prenatal care visits and the first month of prenatal care. Birth outcome indicators included low birth weight, premature birth, and births linked with death certificates. The results of our study indicated that mothers from low-income areas started their prenatal care significantly later in their pregnancies between 1989 and 1999, and had significantly fewer prenatal visits between 1989 and 1997. For the most part, there were not significant differences in birth outcome indicators between income groupings.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

These findings suggest that while mothers from low-income areas received lower levels of prenatal care, they did not experience a higher level of adverse birth outcomes.

Patient time requirements for anticoagulation therapy with warfarin

BACKGROUND

Most patients receiving warfarin are managed in outpatient office settings or anticoagulation clinics that require frequent visits for monitoring.

OBJECTIVE

To measure the amount and value of time required of patients for chronic anticoagulation therapy with warfarin.

DESIGN

/Participants. Prospective observation of a cohort of adult patients treated at a university-based anticoagulation program. Measurements. Participants completed a questionnaire and a prospective diary of the time required for 1 visit to the anticoagulation clinic, including travel, waiting, and the clinic visit. The authors reviewed subjects' medical records to obtain additional information, including the frequency of visits to the anticoagulation clinic. They used the human capital method to estimate the value of time.

RESULTS

Eighty-five subjects completed the study. The mean (median) total time per visit was 147 minutes (123). Subjects averaged 15 visits per year (14) and spent 39.0 hours (29.3) per year on their visits. Other anticoagulation-related activities, such as communication with providers, pharmacy trips, and extra time preparing food, added an average of 52.7 hours (19.0) per year. The mean annual value of patient time spent traveling, waiting, and attending anticoagulation visits was $707 (median $591). The mean annual value when also including other anticoagulation-related activities was $1799 (median $1132).

CONCLUSIONS

The time required of patients for anticoagulation visits was considerable, averaging approximately 2.5 hours per visit and almost 40 hours per year.

METHODS

for reducing patient time requirements, such as home-based testing, could reduce costs for patients, employers, and companions.