Caring for our future: a report by the expert panel on the content of prenatal care.

The report of the Expert Panel on Prenatal Care entitled Caring for Our Future: The Content of Prenatal Care was presented to the Assistant Secretary for Health, James Mason, MD, on October 2, 1989. The Panel noted the need for attention not only to the mother and fetus, but also to the infant and family. Besides traditional medical care concerns, the importance of psychosocial and environmental patient and family needs was emphasized. The Panel felt that the addition of the pre-conception visit to routine prenatal care made care more effective. Suggestions as to visit timing and content were made. The Panel noted the need for further understanding of many of the activities performed routinely in prenatal care.