Provider Characteristics Desired by African American Women in Prenatal Care
- 29 December 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Transcultural Nursing
- Vol. 22 (1), 71-76
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659610387149
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe provider characteristics African American pregnant women identified as important when interacting with their prenatal care providers in an outpatient office setting. Study Design and Method: A descriptive qualitative design was used to explore provider characteristics desired by African American women receiving prenatal care at two inner-city hospital—based obstetric clinics. A total of 22 African American women between the ages of 19 and 28 years participated in the study. Findings: Four major provider characteristic themes emerged from the data: (a) demonstrating quality patient—provider communication, (b) providing continuity of care, (c) treating the women with respect, and (d) delivering compassionate care. Discussion and Conclusion: An overarching theme revealed by the data analysis was the desire by African American women in this study to have their prenatal providers know and remember them. They wanted their providers to understand the context of their lives from their prenatal interactions. Incorporating findings from this study to improve patient—provider interactions during prenatal care could provide an increased understanding of the many complex variables affecting African American women’s lives. Implications for Practice and Research: Prenatal care provides an opportunity for African American women to develop a trusting relationship with a provider. Developing models of prenatal care congruent with the realities of African American women’s lives has the potential to improve patient— provider interactions and potentially affect birth outcomes.Keywords
This publication has 29 references indexed in Scilit:
- 'Breaking It Down': Patient-Clinician Communication and Prenatal Care Among African American Women of Low and Higher LiteracyAnnals of Family Medicine, 2006
- Black Non‐Hispanic Mothers’ Perceptions About the Promotion of Infant‐Feeding Methods by Nurses and PhysiciansJournal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 2006
- Annual Summary of Vital Statistics: 2004PEDIATRICS, 2006
- Annual Summary of Vital Statistics—2003PEDIATRICS, 2005
- Listening to Women at Risk for Preterm Birth: Their Perceptions of Barriers to Effective Care and Nurse Telephone InterventionsMCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 2004
- Patient–Physician Relationships and Racial Disparities in the Quality of Health CareAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2003
- Patient SatisfactionSocial Work in Public Health, 2003
- Preventing low birth weight: is prenatal care the answer?The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 2003
- Qualitative Research and the Question of RigorQualitative Health Research, 2002
- Assessing the Role and Effectiveness of Prenatal Care: History, Challenges, and Directions for Future ResearchPublic Health Reports, 2001