Efficacy of home visits by public health providers for high-risk pregnant women in Egypt

Abstract

Background: Home visits programs aim to improve care management for high-risk pregnant women. Birth outcomes, such as preterm birth, low birth weight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA), are crucial indicators of child development and health. The present study evaluates the efficacy of home visits by public health providers for highrisk pregnant women in Egypt to prevent adverse pregnancy outcome. Methods: This is a cohort study using administrative data collected in obstetrics department, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University. All women with high risk pregnancy were followed by home visits by public health providers. Results: Birth outcomes were documented and evaluated. Women from the home-visit group had a heavier birth weight 2752.85±286.571, longer gestational age 38.36±1.257, less LBW infants 52 (18.6%), less preterm birth 22 (7.9%), and less SGA infants 27 (9.6%) compared to participants who did not receive the home-visit program. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that home visits by public health nurses for high-risk pregnant women in Egypt might be effective in preventing preterm birth, but not SGA. This study adds to the evidence of the effectiveness of population-based home-visit programs as a public healthcare measure.