Low Birth Weight and the Quality and Content of Prenatal Care. Abstract,Executive Summary and Final Report

摘要

The objectives of this report were: To develop an index of prenatal carecomprised of items that experts agree mediate the relationship between good care and better birth weight outcome; and to evaluate whether higher scores on this index are associated with a lower risk of low birth weight. The overwhelming majority of mothers proved to have favorable entries on almost all of the index items. This extreme homogeneity of care and 'relatively small sample size' seriously limited the ability to associate the index with outcome. After adjustment for appropriate patient variables, multivariate analysis found no meaningful association of the index with low birth rate in whites or blacks. Nevertheless, the author believes the concept of the index promising. It could be suitable for monitoring quality assurance.