Objective: The development of an assessment tool for use in primary care settings that will improve communication between women of child bearing age and their physicians such that health and social risks are identified and resolved resulting in improved health and birth outcomes.
Method: Premised on evidence that a significant point of intervention exists before a woman becomes pregnant, the project will identify non-pregnant women of childbearing age who are at risk due to unmet medical and social factors. Working with primary care teams within community health centers, a comprehensive risk assessment tool has been developed to address three barriers to care: dissatisfaction with primary care, limited communication between the patient and physician, and lack of coordination among social and medical care providers. This tool will empower the patient and set standards of care that meet medical and social concerns.
Result: A provider report and a patient report are generated upon completion of the assessment tool. The provider report highlights health concerns, suggests “best practices”, identifies issues influencing health status, and indicates the need for referrals. The patient report summarizes health status information, notes health issues the physician may address at the visit, suggests questions for the provider and lists referrals to other services.
Conclusion: The evaluation of the tool yields important information regarding women’s utilization of primary care, knowledge about and participation in their primary care, satisfaction with the care provided, and changes in health behaviors and health status.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, all participants should be able to: 1. Learn the need and importance of developing a well deigned tool for achieving the goals in a project. 2. Evaluate how an innovative procedure can help in improving birth outcomes
Keywords: Risk Assessment, Primary Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Boston Healthy Start Initiative
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.