Care From Family Physicians Reported by Pregnant Women in the United States

Abstract

We describe the proportion of family physicians providing care of any sort to pregnant women in the United States from 2000 to 2009. We used a repeat, cross-sectional design with data from the nationally representative Integrated Health Interview Series (2000-2009) for respondents who reported being pregnant at the time of the survey (N = 3,204). Using multivariate logistic regression, we modeled changes over time in pregnant women's reports of care from family physicians. We used interaction terms to test for regional differences in trends. Approximately one-third of pregnant women reported having seen or talked to a family physician for medical care during the prior year, a percentage that remained stable for the period of 2000 to 2009 (adjusted odds ratio for annual change = 1.006). Most pregnant women reported care from multiple types of clinicians, including family physicians, obstetrician-gynecologists, midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. There were regional differences in trends in family physician care; pregnant women in the North Central United States increasingly reported care from family physicians, whereas women in the South reported a decline (6.7% annual increase vs 4.7% annual decrease, P ≥.001). Trends in family medicine care for pregnant women have remained steady for the nation as a whole, but they differ by region of the United States. Most pregnant women reported care from multiple clinicians, highlighting the importance of care coordination for this patient population.