Lost in translation: A review of the literature on group prenatal care overseas

BACKGROUND: Prenatal (antenatal) care is important factor in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality and improving birth outcomes. However, only 68% of women in developing countries receive prenatal care in comparison to 98% of women in industrialized countries. One innovative solution to possibly address this disparity is group prenatal care, which has shown favorable outcomes in vulnerable populations in the United States, including mothers who are adolescents, low-income, Black, or Latino. Although the benefits of group prenatal care are documented, little is known of its translation in the global community. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this literature review are to describe group prenatal care and discuss published literature conducted globally in the area of group prenatal care. METHODS: A review of relevant literature cited in electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Web of Science) was conducted. Keywords used were “group prenatal care”, “group antenatal care”, “CenteringPregnancy” and “Centering Pregnancy”. Inclusion criteria included descriptive, cross-sectional, cohort, and randomized controlled studies that were conducted overseas, and published in English after January 2001. RESULTS: A lack of published research on group prenatal care conducted overseas exists. To date, a total of three original studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings included increased patient satisfaction, higher birthweights in infants of group prenatal care women, and increased breastfeeding rates. CONCLUSION: Group prenatal care is being translated abroad but not extensively. Results are promising and should prompt further research on the benefits of group prenatal care in the global community, especially in developing countries.