The Green Room: A Podcast from Obstetrics & Gynecology September 2025: Obstetrics
Aug 21, 2025
Dr. Alex F. Peahl, an assistant professor and health services researcher at Michigan Medicine, delves into the evolving landscape of prenatal care. She discusses groundbreaking studies on maternal health risks and emphasizes the need for personalized care tailored to individual circumstances. The conversation highlights innovative approaches to improve maternal outcomes and the vital role of stakeholder perspectives in shaping effective interventions. Additionally, Peahl addresses systemic challenges within the prenatal care framework, advocating for enhanced resource support for practitioners.
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Core Elements Of Tailored Prenatal Care
- Tailored prenatal care centers on screening medical and social drivers, eliciting patient preferences, and creating individualized plans.
- This departs from a one-size-fits-all 12–14 visit model toward care shaped by patients' lives.
1989 Attempt To Reform Prenatal Care
- A 1989 federal panel recommended flexible prenatal care, including phone visits and reduced schedules.
- The proposals provoked strong public and clinician backlash and ultimately failed to change practice.
System Barriers Outweigh Conceptual Resistance
- Stakeholders broadly support modernizing prenatal care but see major system-level barriers.
- Outpatient infrastructure, scheduling, follow-up, payment, and quality systems are insufficient for tailored care.