Patients in Every Practice: Health Status and Health Experiences of an International Sample of Adults Born Preterm

Due to the increased survival and stable prevalence rates of preterm birth, every clinician, regardless of the patient population or practice setting, has cared for someone born preterm. Unfortunately, most healthcare teams fail to consider preterm birth as a risk factor to adult health, missing a critical opportunity to mitigate risk in this vulnerable population. The purpose of the study was to explore the health status and health experience of adults born preterm with comparisons between birth year cohorts and gestational age categories.

The study utilized a cross-sectional, quantitative descriptive comparative design, augmented by qualitative analysis of open-ended questions.

The health status and health experience survey was developed in collaboration with leaders of an advocacy group for adults born preterm and based on the available research. Convenience, snowball sampling among members of the advocacy network and other preterm birth groups provided an international sample of participants (N = 80).

Chronic conditions or symptoms, representing health status, were reported by 85.7% of participants, with 75% of those participants taking medications for the condition. Participants born less than 32 weeks of gestation reported experiencing health conditions significantly more than those born at later gestations (91.8% vs. 62.5%, p = 0.008); there was no difference in birth year cohort. The most commonly reported conditions were respiratory, mental health, neurodevelopmental, and musculoskeletal. Two-thirds of participants reported never being asked about preterm birth history by healthcare teams. Healthcare experiences were described as ambivalent or dismissive among those who chose to disclose preterm birth status to providers.

Chronic and comorbid conditions associated with preterm birth are common among adults born preterm. These conditions are responsive to prevention and mitigation strategies and, as such, failure to identify adults born preterm as a population susceptible to chronic health conditions results in unidentified, unmanaged risk.