HOW DO PRENATAL CARE CLINICIANS PERCEIVE THEIR ROLE IN CARE FOR LATINA IMMIGRANTS IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA?

Latina immigrants living in the United States face many challenges when trying to access prenatal care, including lack of insurance, lack of citizenship, language barriers, and financial limitations. There has been little research conducted on prenatal care for Latinas from the clinical perspective. Bridging this research gap has the potential to significantly improve quality of care. Prenatal care providers in Allegheny County, PA, were interviewed on various topics regarding care for their Latina patients, focusing on challenges, protective factors, and opportunities for improvement. Providers included obstetrician/gynecologists, family medicine physicians, nurses and doulas. An interview guide was developed based on existing literature on prenatal care for Latinas and quality measurement theory, including Donabedian's theoretical framework. Language, citizenship issues, lack of health insurance, and financial burdens were some of the primary barriers identified by the providers also specified in the literature. Inadequate domestic violence and family planning resources were among the interview responses that were not emphasized in the literature. Recommendations included the expansion of state sponsored health insurance to all women during pregnancy, increasing the number of Spanish-speaking prenatal care providers, and improvements to informed consent procedures in the hospital system. In terms of public health significance, this research is directly related to several Healthy People 2010 goals, including increasing the number of women who receive adequate prenatal care and improving infant mortality rates