 |
||
 |
 |
|
|
MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
 |
|
Martin-Warren, Susan (MA). The Prenatal Passport Pilot Study for the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County, Inc.. (Whiteford). 2001.
The Prenatal Passport was pilot tested for the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County's Provider Relations Committee in order to assess its utilization by patients and their prenatal care providers. The Prenatal Passport is a progress record that women can carry with them during their pregnancy. It was chosen by the Committee as a means to improve prenatal care providers' access to pregnancy information for women who visit various providers. The Prenatal Passport is a mobile medical record and provides immediate access to a woman's prenatal history in the event of a medical emergency, or when presenting at a new provider's office.
The Prenatal Passport also benefits women by permitting them full access to their test results, measurements, and by providing them with information on the warning signs and symptoms of preterm labor. This increases women's knowledge of what to be aware of between prenatal visits, as well as allows them to monitor their own progress throughout their pregnancy.
The Prenatal Passport was piloted in six obstetrical provider sites throughout the Hillsborough County, Florida for approximately three months. Two of the sites kept detailed accounts of whether those receiving the Passport consistently brought it back to their subsequent prenatal visits. The overall utilization percentage was 95.7% (n=168). A telephone survey was developed and twenty-two women were interviewed about their experience using the Prenatal Passport. All of them related that use of the Passport had been a positive one. Three of the twenty-two women noted having an improved perception of the level of care they were receiving because their provider cared enough to give them a Prenatal Passport. Women also valued having the ability to track their own growth and progress throughout their pregnancies.
Providers also responded favorably to the Passport. They noted the impact that it seemed to have on their patients with regard to their access to basic information. Based on the these results, the researcher recommended that the Prenatal Passport be implemented countywide with emphasis placed on its role as a "progress record" for women rather than a "mobile medical record" for providers. Because of the feedback obtained on patient perception of care, it was recommended the Prenatal Passports be distributed by the prenatal care providers and that they be given the option to either update the Passports themselves, or to encourage their patients to do so during the prenatal visit.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|