Antenatal care in primary health care centres in Medina, Saudi Arabia, 2009: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

This study evaluated antenatal care [‎ANC]‎ services for pregnant women attending primary health care centres in Medina city, Saudi Arabia in 2009. A cross-sectional survey collected data on ANC tasks performed at visits by 394 pregnant women attending 7 clinics. ANC was assessed in 3 domains: clinical assessment [‎at the initial visit and return visit]‎, health promotion and care provision. The mean duration of initial visits was 10.3 [‎SD 2.3]‎ minutes and of return visits was 9.1 [‎SD 1.1]‎ minutes. Overall performance on ANC tasks was fair. The significant predictors of ANC performance of tasks were: size of population served per centre; presence of more than 1 physician carrying out ANC at the centre; physician's age, mother tongue, nationality and qualifications; and woman's education and employment status. Having more physicians available for ANC in primary care centres could improve the standard of care