Innovations in Patient-Centered Antenatal Care: A pregnancy club for women in Eastern Uganda

Innovations in Patient-Centered Antenatal Care: A pregnancy club for women in Eastern Uganda

High-quality, patient-centered antenatal care (ANC) is a key strategy for improving maternal and newborn health and a critical component in the continuum of care. ANC enables early diagnosis of life-threatening complications, supports healthy behaviors and practices, links women and communities with the health system, and can help drive increased coverage of skilled birth attendance and improved health throughout the life cycle.

This fact sheet describes a feasibility study in two districts in Eastern Uganda, led by MSH in partnership with Scope, to test and evaluate a patient-centered group model of antenatal care that provides a forum where pregnant women can share experiences, receive essential health information from a midwife or other skilled provider, and track and better understand the progress of their pregnancies. This fact sheet highlights MSH and M4ID’s design and implementation of the “pregnancy club” as well as initial findings from the study.