Related Experiment Videos
Expanding developmental and behavioral services for newborns in primary care: program design, delivery, and
Colleen E Huebner1, William E Barlow, Lynda T Tyll
1Maternal and Child Health Program, Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|April 28, 2004
Summary
Healthy Steps (HS) for Young Children successfully integrated prenatal and postnatal services into healthcare, providing more support to families. Early results show high provider satisfaction and increased service utilization for participating families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Healthy Steps (HS) for Young Children enhances healthcare systems for parental developmental and behavioral support.
- A study evaluated HS implementation in a health maintenance organization, including an "PrePare" (PP) prenatal program.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the benefit of initiating intervention services during pregnancy (PP+HS) versus after birth (HS).
- To evaluate the implementation and early outcomes of the Healthy Steps program.
Main Methods:
- Quasi-experimental design comparing intervention families with usual care.
- Random assignment within intervention to prenatal (PP+HS) or postnatal (HS) initiation.
- Utilized PRECEDE/PROCEED model for planning and evaluation; examined outcomes at 3 months postpartum.
Main Results:
- 439 families participated: usual care (n=136), PP+HS (n=151), HS (n=152).
- Intervention delivered with fidelity, valued by providers and parents, with minimal disruption.
- Intervention families received more services (usual care and intervention-specific) than the comparison group.
Conclusions:
- The prenatal and newborn phases of HS were successfully integrated into the healthcare system.
- Providers and parents found the program valuable.
- Further papers will examine if these service differences lead to beneficial outcomes for families and the health plan.