Allison Bryant, MD, MPH reviewing Yee LM et al. Obstet Gynecol 2017 May.

In a low-income cohort, providing patient navigation improved adherence to postpartum visits.

The postpartum period is often fraught with competing demands, and the complexity of navigating the healthcare system can loom as a barrier that keeps some women from engaging in the recommended follow-up. The 6-week postpartum visit — typically the first in a series — is an underutilized healthcare opportunity, particularly for low-income women and those of color. At a clinic serving primarily low-income women, a program was initiated featuring a full-time patient navigator to connect with women in the third trimester or shortly postpartum; the navigator provided help scheduling visits, advocacy at appointments, and overall healthcare coordination.

Eligible women who received care during the year after the start of the navigation program were more likely to present for an obstetric visit within 12 weeks postpartum than women seen during the year before the program's initiation (88% vs. 70%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.6). Program participants were also more likely to elect WHO Tier 1 or 2 contraceptive methods, to be screened for postpartum depression, and to receive influenza and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

CITATION(S):

Yee LM et al. Using a patient navigator to improve postpartum care in an urban women's health clinic. Obstet Gynecol 2017 May; 129:925.

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