MCH Student:

Danielle Young

Date of Defense:

September 14, 2012

Abstract:

Objective: The purpose of this report is to describe the methodology and results from a process evaluation of the READY/LISTA preconception health program at a federally qualified health center in Chicago, IL. The evaluation was done to determine the success of the program implementation and to determine areas for improvement.

Methods: PCC Community Wellness Center in partnership with the March of Dimes offers a free pregnancy test appointment to women in the community. A mixed methods evaluation was designed to determine the extent of dose delivered, dose received, barriers, and fidelity of program implementation. Quantitative data was taken from organizational records containing patient visit data (n=165). An implementation index was created for dose of various program components. Key informant interviews were conducted and surveys were distributed to supplement quantitative data.

Results: PCC met READY/LISTA program objectives in the following areas: amount of time spent with patients during the READY/LISTA preconception visit (average 31.6minutes) and first trimester prenatal care initiation (96.9% of pregnant patients). PCC failed to meet objectives of a number of patients served (27.5% of expected total volume), total number of preconception knowledge post-test distributed to patients (42.4% of patients), and total number of reproductive life plan distributed to patients(4.9% of patients). Overall implementation index was 0.66. Barriers identified included recruitment, finding space for the program, issues with insurance coverage, support from clinic management, and incentivizing the program for clinic management.

Conclusions: Continued education of healthcare providers about the importance of preconception health programs is essential for successful implementation of such programs. Further evaluation of the usefulness of reproductive life plans in federally qualified health centers is needed.