Care From Family Physicians Reported by Pregnant Women in the United States

The Article in Brief

Care From Family Physicians Reported by Pregnant Women in the United States

Patricia Fontaine , and colleagues

Background Women receive medical care from many types of clinicians during pregnancy, including family physicians, obstetrician-gynecologists, midwives, other specialists, and midlevel clinicians. It is not known, however, how many pregnant women have family doctors. This analysis of nationally representative data from 2000 to 2009 describes the proportion of family physicians providing medical care of any sort to pregnant women in the United States and examines trends over time and by geographic region.

What This Study Found Approximately one-third of pregnant women report having seen or talked to a family physician for medical care during the prior year, a percentage that has remained stable over the past decade. A substantial and steady proportion of pregnant women (36 percent) receive some care from family physicians, with most reporting receiving care from multiple types of clinicians, including family physicians, obstetrician-gynecologists, midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. There are regional differences in trends in family physician care, with pregnant women in the North Central United States increasingly reporting care from family physicians and women in the South reporting a decline.

Implications

• Because most pregnant women report care from multiple clinicians, care coordination is important for this patient population.