Prenatal care and infant emergency department use

To determine the relationship between mothers' use of prenatal care and pediatric emergency department (ED) use by their infants in the first 3 months of life.

This is a retrospective, cohort-control study of well, full-term infants who use a children's hospital ED. Using logistic regression, the likelihood of an emergency visit in the first 3 months of life was compared between infants of women with fewer than two prenatal visits and infants of women with two or more prenatal visits. Covariates were maternal age, race, substance abuse history, parity, infant birth weight, insurance status, and distance from the ED.

The odds of an ED visit before age 3 months by infants of mothers with less than two prenatal visits was 29% lower than the comparison group. ED use was increased by proximity, Medicaid or no health insurance and younger maternal age. Seventy percent (70%) of visits by both cohorts were classified as unjustified. The odds of making an unjustified ED visit were increased by younger maternal age and proximity to the emergency department.

Women with poor prenatal care are less likely to seek ED care for their young infants. Although suboptimal prenatal care is associated with negative health outcomes, it is not known whether fewer infant ED visits are similarly deleterious.