Patient-Provider Satisfaction and Communication in U.S. Prenatal Care: A Systematic Review

This is a systematic review on patient-provider satisfaction in U.S. prenatal care by addressing the following research question: What factors influence patient-provider satisfaction during prenatal care?

Thirty six online databases were searched for peer-reviewed research from February to September of 2018 using 10 key terms published in English on U.S. populations between the years 1993-2018 on the topic of provider communication skills and patient satisfaction in the prenatal context. Searches yielded 2563 articles. After duplicates were reviewed and eligibility determined, 32 articles met criteria and were included in the final content analysis. All reported study variables were entered into EXCEL, data reported in each study were analyzed by two people for inter-rater reliability and included in the qualitative content analysis. Two researchers also utilized assessment tools to assess the quality of the articles.

Results indicate the importance of good patient-provider communication, that patients have a need for more information on a plethora of topics, and that Hispanic and African American women reported less satisfaction.

We recommend that future studies measure potentially significant themes not adequately present in the reviewed studies such as practitioner demographics (e.g. gender, years of experience, or race/ethnicity), mothers under 18 years of age, inclusion of religious minorities, patients with differing immigration statuses, and patients with disabilities.