Eliminating walk-in deliveries one patient at a time. An evaluation of the Houston County Health Department Prenatal Clinic, North Central Health District, GA.
Abstract
Background: The Houston County Health Department Prenatal Clinic aims to provide high-quality prenatal care at a minimal cost to ensure timely, consistent healthcare and improve maternal-child health outcomes in Middle Georgia. As part of the 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & Harvard School of Public Health Program Evaluation Practicum, this program was evaluated to determine its effectiveness in reducing the number of walk-in deliveries at Houston Healthcare among women who are uninsured or uninsurable.
Methods: The evaluation plan was developed with stakeholder input and followed an observational, non-experimental data collection process. A historical comparison group of clinic patients treated in previous years was used. When looking at health outcomes, uninsured clinic patients were compared to all uninsured patients who delivered at Houston Healthcare over the data collection period. The evaluation used a mixed methods approach in its analysis. Data sources included records from the prenatal clinic and Houston Healthcare, patient surveys, and surveys to labor and delivery nurses at Houston Healthcare.
Results: Of the patients that completed surveys, 89% said that they were satisfied with the level of care they received at the clinic. Regarding preparation for delivery, 33% said they felt very prepared, 56% felt somewhat prepared, and 11% felt somewhat unprepared. Some of the barriers to care indicated were lack of transportation and lack of childcare. All respondents to the nurse surveys either agreed or strongly agreed that when compared to walk-in deliveries clinic patients were better prepared for delivery.
Conclusion: The prenatal clinic has had a positive impact on maternal outcomes within its priority population. This evaluation gave us greater insight into the program components that have been successful and the areas in which there is room for improvement. Moving forward we will continue with data collection and analysis biannually to track the prenatal clinic’s progress over time.
Keywords
Epidemiology Health Education and Promotion Maternal and Child Health Rural Health/Primary Care
Eliminating walk-in deliveries one patient at a time. An evaluation of the Houston County Health Department Prenatal Clinic, North Central Health District, GA.
Background: The Houston County Health Department Prenatal Clinic aims to provide high-quality prenatal care at a minimal cost to ensure timely, consistent healthcare and improve maternal-child health outcomes in Middle Georgia. As part of the 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & Harvard School of Public Health Program Evaluation Practicum, this program was evaluated to determine its effectiveness in reducing the number of walk-in deliveries at Houston Healthcare among women who are uninsured or uninsurable.
Methods: The evaluation plan was developed with stakeholder input and followed an observational, non-experimental data collection process. A historical comparison group of clinic patients treated in previous years was used. When looking at health outcomes, uninsured clinic patients were compared to all uninsured patients who delivered at Houston Healthcare over the data collection period. The evaluation used a mixed methods approach in its analysis. Data sources included records from the prenatal clinic and Houston Healthcare, patient surveys, and surveys to labor and delivery nurses at Houston Healthcare.
Results: Of the patients that completed surveys, 89% said that they were satisfied with the level of care they received at the clinic. Regarding preparation for delivery, 33% said they felt very prepared, 56% felt somewhat prepared, and 11% felt somewhat unprepared. Some of the barriers to care indicated were lack of transportation and lack of childcare. All respondents to the nurse surveys either agreed or strongly agreed that when compared to walk-in deliveries clinic patients were better prepared for delivery.
Conclusion: The prenatal clinic has had a positive impact on maternal outcomes within its priority population. This evaluation gave us greater insight into the program components that have been successful and the areas in which there is room for improvement. Moving forward we will continue with data collection and analysis biannually to track the prenatal clinic’s progress over time.
