Maternity care guidelines checklist - To assist physicians in implementingCPGs

PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED Implementing the recommended clinical practice guid elines for prenatal care can be difficult for busy practitioners because th e guidelines are numerous and continually being revised. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM To develop a checklist outlining the current recommend ed activities for prenatal care to assist practitioners in providing eviden ce-based interventions to pregnant women. MAIN COMPONENTS OF PROGRAM We reviewed guidelines for prenatal care from th e Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination (CTFPHE) and from the report of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). We searched M EDLINE for interventions commonly performed in pregnancy, but not reviewed by either task force, Interventions graded A or B are listed in bold;type o n the checklist. Interventions graded C by either task force or recommended by organizations not necessarily using the same rigorous criteria are list ed in plain type. Recommended interventions are displayed along a time line under three headings: clinical maneuvers, investigations, and issues for d iscussion. Pilot testing by 12 practising physicians and 12 family practice residents showed that most respondents thought the checklist very useful. CONCLUSIONS Providing a one-page checklist summarizing recommended clinical maneuvers, investigations, and topics for discussion should help physician s with implementing the many clinical practice guidelines for prenatal care .