Prenatal care in rural newfoundland: room for improvement?

A retrospective chart survey of prenatal care in a clinic in rural Newfoundland was done for 1978-1982. As measured by the date of first prenatal attendance and the total number of prenatal visits, those women who went to the rural clinic received significantly less prenatal care than some women who visited a physician in a larger town. The obstetric outcomes for women who went to the rural clinic equalled those for women who attended doctors in town. The outcomes from both the clinic and town equalled those in Newfoundland and the rest of Canada. The potential benefits of prenatal care are discussed and suggestions are made about how to improve patients' attendance at the clinic.