Assessing prenatal care in a family practice residency clinic.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

This study demonstrates how one family practice residency clinic characterized obstetric clinic patients and assessed obstetric care using birth certificate data (demographic characteristics and risk factors) and birth outcome indicators.

METHODS

We compared clinical characteristics and birth outcomes for 901 patients who were delivered by family physicians from the family practice residency clinic with a matched and unmatched group of patients who were delivered by other physicians in the county during 1990-1993.

RESULTS

The study clinic patients were at higher risk and had lower use of prenatal care. However, the outcomes of the study clinic patients were significantly better (fewer labor and delivery complications, procedures, Cesarean deliveries, abnormal conditions of newborn, low birth weight deliveries, and preterm birth) or no different from the comparison group of non-clinic patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of birth certificate data provided a favorable assessment of prenatal care provided by a family practice residency clinic. This type of analysis permits comparisons of birth outcomes with other local or regional providers, statewide providers, and the year 2000 national objectives established by the National Center for Health Statistics.