Learning Objective #1: Identify the components of the Centering Pregnancy Program

Learning Objective #2: Discuss advantages of the Centering Pregnancy Program for the patient, the provider, and the health care system

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Models of prenatal care addressing risk assessment, health promotion, preventative clinical services, social support, continuity of care, accessibility and education are important to achieving Healthy People 2010 goals to decrease infant mortality and reduce the numbers of low birth weight babies. The Centering Pregnancy Program (CPP) is a comprehensive program provided by a nurse-midwife or nurse practitioner with emphasis on pregnancy care, assessment, education, and group support directed toward self-care responsibility. In this model, much of prenatal care is taken out of examination rooms and placed within a large meeting area, and the pregnant woman is an active participant in all aspects of her care. The openness of the model helps to demystify the medical technology as well as the physiologic process of pregnancy. Initial history, risk assessment, and physical examination take place during individual sessions with each woman. Subsequent visits take place in group sessions where women receive and take part in their basic prenatal assessments, share informally with other pregnant women, and discuss together content related to childbearing and parenting. Individual sessions are scheduled as needed to address questions, issues and/or problems of a more personal nature. The CPP model may easily be used anywhere with an area large enough to accommodate 10-12 persons. The model is being successfully implemented in more than 50 sites across the United States with women from a variety of backgrounds and in diverse settings. This model offers women and their care providers an alternative to brief 1:1 office visits.