Changing to ‘new style’ antenatal care

Abstract

This study describes the effects of introducing ‘new style’ antenatal care into South Bedfordshire; a reduced schedule of routine visits and an increased emphasis on community care. During the planning stage, professionals and new mothers were consulted. Guidelines for antenatal care were jointly developed by midwives, GPs and obstetricians. A significant reduction was achieved in the mean number of antenatal visits from 11.7 to 10 after the new system had been in operation for 21 months. Mothers' acceptance of the reduced visits schedule was low, but increased after it had been introduced. Initially, 80% of women were against the change; later this propotion had fallen to 46%. The care of women who developed hypertension in pregnancy was also audited; the proportion of women who managed according to the guidelines increased from 58% to 93% in those with borderline raised blood pressure, and from 57% to 95% in those with diastolic pressures above 100mmHg.