The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is recommending “a paradigm shift” to prenatal care, opting for a more personalized and tailored approach to improve access and outcomes.
Five things to know:
1. The new approach, outlined in an April 17 clinical guidance, departs from the nearly century-old standard of 12 to 14 in-person visits for all patients, regardless of individual risk factors.
2. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, the new guidance recommends clinicians develop personalized care plans for average or low-risk patients based on their individual risk factors, social determinants of health and personal preferences.
3. Key changes include streamlined in-person visit schedules, integrating more telehealth and group prenatal care where feasible.
4. ACOG also recommends clinicians screen patients for social determinants of health before 10 weeks of pregnancy.
5. The new guidance comes amid the nation’s worsening maternal health crisis. An April 9 study published in JAMA Network Open found the maternal death rate increased by nearly 28% from 2018 to 2022. Meanwhile, 100 rural hospitals have ended or are planning to end labor and delivery services since 2020, highlighting growing access challenges.
“This new approach to prenatal care is a significant paradigm shift,” Christopher Zahn, MD, ACOG’s chief of clinical practice and health equity and quality, said in a news release. “Research has shown that the standard 12 to 14 visits do not ensure that patients receive the recommended prenatal care. In fact, 23% of patients don’t go to their first prenatal care appointment until after the first trimester, and almost half do not receive all the recommended services on time. In order to improve access and outcomes, we have to adjust the system and meet patients where they are.”
Learn more here.
