Introducing an integrated maternity care pathway for women with a history of small-for-gestational-age: Evaluation of its effect on care process and clinical outcomes

TL;DR

A new maternity care pathway for women with a history of small-for-gestational-age babies reduced specialist prenatal visits and labor inductions while safely increasing primary care births.

Contribution

An integrated maternity care pathway was implemented and evaluated for women with a history of small-for-gestational-age births.

Findings

Prenatal secondary care consultations decreased from 11 to 5 per pregnancy after pathway implementation.

Inductions of labor reduced from 34.2% to 26.8% post-intervention.

Primary care births increased from 15.4% to 28.8% without adverse neonatal outcomes.

Abstract

This study focusses on the implementation of an integrated care pathway for women with SGA in their obstetric history that pursues value-based healthcare. This study aims to 1) Determine whether the integrated care pathway led to a reduction in the number of antenatal secondary care consultations, as an indicator of care efficacy, and 2) compare clinical outcomes for women with a history of SGA before and after implementation of the integrated care pathway.

Retrospective cohort study including data from pregnant women with a history of SGA within integrated maternity care organisation Annature, 2017–2020. Intervention was an integrated care pathway (2018). Pre- and post-intervention periods were compared assessing prenatal secondary care consultations, place and mode of delivery, and perinatal outcomes.

The implementation of the care pathway for pregnant women with a history of SGA led to a reduction in mean number of prenatal secondary care consultations per pregnancy from 11 in 2017–5 in 2020, and fewer inductions of labour (78 (34.2%) vs 127 (26.8%), p = 0.045). Additionally, the number of births in primary care increased (35 (15.4%) vs 136 (28.8%), p < 0.001) with no significant adverse impact on neonatal outcomes in the post-intervention period compared to the pre-intervention period.

The implementation of the care pathway for pregnant women with a history of SGA resulted in a reduction in prenatal secondary care consultations and fewer inductions of labour. Additionally, the number of births in primary care increased, with no significant adverse impact on neonatal outcomes in the post-intervention period compared to the pre-intervention period.

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