Reducing the risk of recurring preterm birth: The North Carolina 17P Project

Preterm birth is responsible for over 70% of perinatal morbidity and mortality with one out of eight infants in the United States born before 37 weeks gestation. Recent research has found one way to reduce the risk of recurring preterm birth by 33% in a specific population of women by giving weekly injections of a drug (17P) to pregnant women who have had a previous early birth. North Carolina launched a project to move this new research into practice statewide, with a focus on low-income and minority women. There are many significant barriers to achieving full access to 17P. In June 2006 the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated funds to begin to address these challenges. The appropriation made 17P available free of charge to pregnant women who met the clinical criteria and were Medicaid recipients. It provided funds to expand education about the drug to consumers, providers and public health partners. The legislation required that the project be led by an advisory group with representatives from across North Carolina, that research be done with other states to learn more about their use of 17P, and that an evaluation be conducted of the project to understand more about the barriers and facilitators faced by women and providers. The presentation will share information about the success and challenges faced by the 17P project as well as the results of the evaluation and study. This topic is very current and the approach taken to speed translation research is innovative.