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Measuring antenatal care use in Europe: is the content and timing of care in pregnancy tool applicable?

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

Measuring of antenatal care utilisation is important from a public health perspective. The Content and Timing of care in Pregnancy tool (CTP) focuses on the care process and includes aspects on quality of care. The aim of the study is to gain insight in the applicability of the CTP tool across Europe.

Methods

National guidelines for routine antenatal care were examined, analysing the degree to which the four items in the CTP tool were included in these guidelines.

Results

From the 30 countries, 22 had a national guideline for routine antenatal care. The CTP tool is applicable in over 60% of the European countries with a national guideline.

Conclusions

The CTP tool can be used to measure antenatal care delivery in Europe. The tool is useful to evaluate the care process, focusing on rates of interventions as the closest approximation to the delivery of health care, with a focus on content of visits rather than simply the number of visits. Together with indicators measuring structure and outcome of health care, conclusions about the quality of care can be made.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is part of the COST Action IS0907, ‘Childbirth Cultures, Concerns and Consequences: Creating a dynamic EU framework for optimal maternity care’. The Action aimed to advance scientific knowledge about ways of providing optimum maternity care provision and outcomes for mothers, babies and families across Europe (see http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/isch/Actions/IS0907.) Furthermore we want to thank EURO-PERISTAT, the European Midwives Organisation (EMA) and the European Board and College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (EBCOG) for their willingness to participate in our study and spread the questionnaire to their members. Finally, we want to thank the respondents and data validators to take time to fill out the questionnaire.

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Correspondence to Katrien Beeckman.

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Beeckman, K., Frith, L., Gottfreðsdóttir, H. et al. Measuring antenatal care use in Europe: is the content and timing of care in pregnancy tool applicable?. Int J Public Health 62, 583–590 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-017-0959-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-017-0959-4

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