The prenatal pediatric visit revisited

The potential value of prenatal interviews with pediatricians was explored through interviews with 20 low-income women in their last trimester of pregnancy. Major areas of attention included prenatal concerns, psychosocial assessment, and anticipatory guidance. Important issues of relevance to pediatric care emerged, including gaps of parental knowledge, lack of financial and emotional support, and anxieties about the infant. Prenatal pediatric visits also served to encourage the involvement of fathers in pediatric care and to establish an ongoing professional relationship with the pediatrician. In health care settings where comprehensive, coordinated care is often lacking--such as teaching hospitals or county clinics--pediatric providers must take the initiative if families are to be reached prenatally.