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. 2024 Aug;28(8):1324-1329.
doi: 10.1007/s10995-024-03958-8. Epub 2024 Jun 15.

Primary Care After Pregnancy Survey: Patient Preferences, Health Concerns, and Anticipated Barriers

Mara E Murray Horwitz  1 , G Saradhja Brédy  2 , Jeffrey Schemm  3 , Tracy A Battaglia  4 , Christina D Yarrington  5 , Lois McCloskey  6
Affiliations

Primary Care After Pregnancy Survey: Patient Preferences, Health Concerns, and Anticipated Barriers

Mara E Murray Horwitz et al. Matern Child Health J. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Despite recommendations for ongoing care after pregnancy, many individuals do not see a primary care clinician within the first postpartum year, missing a critical window to engage reproductive-age individuals in primary care. We administered an anonymous, cross-sectional, trilingual survey at a large urban safety-net hospital to assess postpartum individuals' preferences, health concerns, and anticipated barriers to primary care during the year after pregnancy. While 90% of respondents preferred a visit within one year, most individuals - including those with complicated pregnancies - did not recall a primary care recommendation from their pregnancy care team. Respondents reported a variety of primary care-amenable health concerns, and many social and logistical barriers to care. Preference for virtual care increased if self-monitoring tools were hypothetically available, indicating virtual visits may improve primary care access.

Keywords: Postpartum; Pregnancy complications; Primary care; Survey.

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