Scoping review into models of interconception care delivered at well-child visits for the Australian context
Morgan Thomas
A * , Kate Cheney A and Kirsten I. Black A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Sydney School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
* Correspondence to: morgan.thomas121@gmail.com, mtho3077@uni.sydney.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 29(3) 195-206 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY22124
Submitted: 20 June 2022 Accepted: 12 December 2022 Published: 11 January 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Background: The interconception period provides an opportunity to address women’s health risks and optimise birth spacing before the next pregnancy. This scoping review aimed to identify models of interconception care (ICC) delivered at well-child visits (WCVs) around the world, review the impacts of ICC delivered, and what the feasibility and applicability of these models were.
Methods: The global review included clinical studies that that were identified using medical subject headings (MeSH) and keyword combinations. Studies were included if they met the criteria: were clinical studies; examined a model of ICC; were conducted by a registered health professional; and examined women who had given birth within the last 24-months. The following databases were searched: Medline (OVID); CINAHL (EBSCO); PubMed; and Embase (OVID). Relevant studies were screened in Covidence and the data was then extracted using a narrative analysis.
Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The benefits of ICC delivered at WCVs included screening for maternal health behaviours and conditions and increase women’s uptake of interventions. The studies identified that implementing ICC at WCVs was acceptable to women. Identified challenges included lack of time for health providers, lack of education among women and health providers, and limited funding for WCVs.
Conclusion: ICC interventions found in this review included family planning counselling and provision of long-acting contraception; health promotion of folic acid; and postpartum depression screening. The research concluded that ICC delivered at WCVs contributes to improving health behaviours for future pregnancies. Increased capacity for this care at WCVs could be achieved with targeted resources and time allocation.
Keywords: health promotion, interconception care, maternal and child health care, maternal screening, postpartum care, preconception care, scoping review, well-child visits.
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