Utilization of Medical Students as a Support Network for Pregnant Teenagers

The psychosocial and medical problems of pregnant teenagers are well known in the medical and social work fields. Pregnant adolescents are considered to be in the high risk medical category. The most common medical problems for pregnant teenagers include pregnancy induced hypertension, premature delivery, and significant anemia.  Pregnant teenagers also have significantly high psychosocial risk factors. The most common psychosocial stressors are anxiety, family dysfunction, poverty, and drug/alcohol use. When they receive adequate prenatal care and emotional support, the incidence of complications is reduced.

 In a large urban Medical Center in New York City, the Nursing and Social Work Departments implemented a Prenatal Partnership Program. The objective of the program is to provide support to young pregnant women, who otherwise have little or no support from partners and family, by pairing them with medical students. The development of the program has included curriculum design and ongoing training and support for the medical students. The curriculum incorporates a basic review of the pertinent medical information, an introduction to delivery room procedures, adolescent development, and extensive discussion of establishing rapport with pregnant teens. By helping young mothers understand the plan of care and communicate her concerns to her provider, the student empowers the mother to play an active role in her treatment, which ultimately has a positive impact on patient compliance and health care outcomes. This presentation will demonstrate program design, curriculum development and practice implications for this particular population.