Program

Nurse-Midwifery M.S.

Year Approved

2022

First Advisor

Clark , Renee

Second Reader

Katrina Wu

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse birth outcomes are a significant public health issue for women and infants in the United States, with preterm birth identified as a major cause of neonatal complications leading to lifelong morbidity and mortality. BIPOC women, particularly Black women, experience significantly higher rates of adverse birth outcomes. This integrative review attempts to determine if group prenatal care is an effective method to alleviate racial disparities associated with birth. Methods: A literature search to identify randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental studies was conducted in CINHAL, PubMed, and Scopus using keywords associated with group prenatal care, race, and adverse birth outcomes. Inclusion criteria described articles with exclusively or predominantly non-white participants, focusing on areas of the world with similar resources to the United States, with detailed measures of adverse birth outcomes. Identified articles were subjected to a screening process to eliminate non-pertinent studies. Results: Initial searches resulted in a total of 325 articles. Of these articles, 15 journals met inclusion criteria. Findings from these articles demonstrate a promising reduction in preterm birth, low birth weight rates, cesarean rates, and neonatal intensive care admissions when a group prenatal care model was applied. Discussion: Despite the need for continued research pertaining to group prenatal care and its impact on reducing health disparities in BIPOC patients, these findings demonstrate that implementing a group prenatal model can undermine the current system which continues to produce unacceptable outcomes for women of color.

Degree Name

M.S. Nurse-Midwifery

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

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