Development of a care system for pregnant women through urban community health networks Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

This action research aimed to analyze, develop, and evaluate a care framework for pregnant women within urban community health networks. The study involved pregnant women receiving antenatal care both within and outside the district. Data was collected by public health personnel through interviews, group discussions, and observations from January to June, 2024. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests, while qualitative data underwent content analysis. Findings revealed: 1) Pre-development, pregnant women experienced limited access to services, pregnant women had little access to services, 16.9 percent, delayed prenatal care, and missed appointments. Village health volunteers lacked clear guidelines and submitted incomplete reports. 2) A new care system was developed, including: 2.1) Implementing a community-based care approach; 2.2) Establishing care recommendations, creating tracking tools, and producing a healthcare handbook; 2.3) Enhancing proactive and reactive communication. 3) The evaluation of results revealed the establishment of a system to support pregnant women within the urban community health community. According to the implementation of this system, the results of coverage for care for pregnant women increased by 40.4 percent. Pregnant women demonstrated statistically significant improvement in pregnancy knowledge (p=0.001). The developed system comprises three components: 1) Developing stakeholders' potential; 2) Improving service systems through participatory guideline and innovation creation; 3) Implementing monitoring and evaluation processes. This enhanced system increased efficiency, resulting in positive outcomes for all stakeholders. Furthermore, the study's findings have been extended to encompass all 95 communities. As a suggestion, this research process can be adapted for similar tasks to improve efficiency.