Differences in Prenatal Care by Presence and Type of Maternal Disability
What is the name of the study?
Differences in Prenatal Care by Presence and Type of Maternal Disability
What was the goal of this study?
The goal of this study was to see if women with different disability types received good medical care while pregnant.
What did we find?
Fewer women with hearing loss or with IDD went to the doctor early on in their pregnancies. Women with hearing loss or vision loss also did not go to as many appointments as doctors suggest. While some women with IDD did not go to enough doctor visits, some went to extra visits. Women with physical disabilities also went to extra visits.
What did we learn?
Pregnant women with IDD or hearing loss are not getting as good medical care as pregnant women without disabilities. Women with vision loss start going to the doctor as early in their pregnancies as women without disabilities. However, women with vision loss did not go back to the doctor as many times during pregnancy as they should.
Why is this important?
Women with disabilities deserve to have healthy pregnancies. The amount of care they get while pregnant affects the health of the mom and baby. Understanding who will go to fewer doctor visits can help our hospitals do better to give everyone the care they deserve.
Who are the authors of the study?
Willi Horner-Johnson, Ph.D.,1 Frances M. Biel, M.P.H.,2 M.S., Aaron B. Caughey, M.D., Ph.D.,2 Blair G. Darney, Ph.D., M.P.H.2
Authors are from OHSU:
- Institute on Development and Disability
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Horner-Johnson, W., Biel, F. M., Caughey, A. B., & Darney, B. G. (2019). Differences in prenatal care by presence and type of maternal disability. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(3), 376-382. http://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.10.021
Key Words:
Prenatal Care: Regular check-ups to make sure a pregnancy is as healthy as possible.
Maternal Disability: Disability of a mother.
Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD): Disabilities that usually happen before or just after birth and affect the child’s growth and development.