Non-ob-gyns deliver about 14 percent of routine prenatal care

(HealthDay)—Routine prenatal care is often delivered by non-obstetrics and gynecology (Ob-Gyn) providers, according to a March data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

Sayeedha G. Uddin, M.D., M.P.H., from the NCHS in Hyattsville, Md., and colleagues quantified the amount of routine prenatal care delivered by non-Ob-Gyn providers among women aged 15 to 54 years, who were seen in physicians' offices, community health centers, and hospital outpatient departments.

The researchers found that, in 2009 to 2010, women saw providers whose specialty was not Ob-Gyn at 14.1 percent of routine prenatal care visits in the United States. The highest percentage of visits that were made to non-Ob-Gyn providers (20.5 percent) was among women aged 15 to 19 years. The percentage of visits to non-Ob-Gyn providers was higher among women with Medicaid and those with no insurance (24.3 and 23.1 percent, respectively), compared to women with private insurance (7.3 percent). Women in large suburban areas had a lower percentage of routine prenatal visits to non-Ob-Gyn providers (5.1 percent) compared to those in urban areas or in small towns or suburbs (14.4 and 22.4 percent, respectively).

"Non-Ob-Gyn providers delivered one out of every seven routine prenatal care visits in the United States in 2009 to 2010," the authors write.