Prenatal care : effectiveness and implementation / edited by Marie C. McCormick and Joanna E. Siegel.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Pt. 1. Prenatal care and complications of pregnancy. Effect of prenatal care upon medical conditions in pregnancy / Phillip G. Stubblefield -- Health behaviors during pregnancy : risks and interventions / Lisa L. Paine, Lisa M. Garceau -- pt. 2. Preventing prematurity. Causes of prematurity / David A. Savitz, Lisa M. Pastore -- Interventions to prevent prematurity / Robert L. Goldenberg, Dwight J. Rouse -- Long-term outcomes of prematurity / Marie C. McCormick -- pt. 3. New findings and long-term evidence on intrauterine growth restriction. Causes of intrauterine growth restriction / Kathleen Maher Rasmussen -- Impact of prenatal care on intrauterine growth restriction / Linda J. Heffner -- Short- and long-term outcomes of intrauterine growth restriction / Kathleen G. Nelson -- pt. 4. Preventing and treating birth defects. Prevalence and etiology of birth defects / Joan M. Stoler -- Developing fetal diagnostic technologies / Richard C. Parad -- Options following the diagnosis of a fetal anomaly / Mark I. Evans, Yuval Yaron, Ralph L. Kramer, Mark P. Johnson -- pt. 5. Prenatal care as an integral component of women's health care. Opportunities for improving maternal and infant health through prenatal oral health care / James J. Crall -- Family planning : need and opportunities / Lorraine V. Klerman -- Maternal-fetal conflict is not a useful construct / Wendy Chavkin, Peter Bernstein -- Linking prenatal care with women's health care / Paul H. Wise, Marisa Brett -- A European perspective on prenatal care : an integrated system / Jacques Milliez -- Epilogue. A commentary on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of prenatal care / Joanna E. Siegel, Marie C. McCormick.

This book evaluates the effectiveness of prenatal care interventions and provides a framework for prenatal care that looks beyond the limited perspective of immediate neonatal outcomes. Ultimately, this book seeks to improve the content and the implementation of prenatal care by shifting the focus away from short-term technocentric medical advances to concentrate on the broader public health issues. A unique aspect of this book is its focus on the effectiveness of prenatal care interventions on longer-term benefits for women and children's health. Traditional medical interventions, as well as social support and behavioral interventions during prenatal care are reviewed. Effectiveness is considered within the context of its implications for public policy and service delivery. This book is an important resource for maternal and child health professionals, policy makers and health care managers because it provides evidence of the prenatal care services that improve the long-term health of women and children.