Duluth Educators Publish Results of Prenatal Care and Delivery Curriculum Research

The team included: Ruth Westra, DO, MPH; Irina V. Haller, PhD, MS; Jeff Adams, MD; Bonnie J. Peterson; Jennifer Pearson, MD. The article is a result of collaboration between the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Duluth, University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth (Drs Westra, Adams, and Pearson and Ms Peterson) and Division of Education and Research, St. Mary’s Duluth Clinic Health System, Duluth, Minnesota (Dr Haller).

Motivated by the fact that the number of US family physicians who deliver babies continues to decrease for a variety of reasons, the educational team developed a new Obstetric Longitudinal Program (OLP) designed to expose first-year medical students to the longitudinal experience of prenatal care and delivery. The curriculum included reinforcement throughout clinical training to increase their knowledge of pregnancy care and to encourage inclusion of pregnancy care in their future family practice and it was set up as a research study with a control group.  Results showed that, compared to the control group, OLP participants had higher knowledge scores at the end of the program and expressed greater likelihood to include deliveries in their future practice. Further studies are needed to determine if such early medical education experiences actually change the future practice of family physicians.  Pictured: Ruth Westra, D.O. Chair of the Duluth Department of Family Medicine works with a medical student simulating a delivery during the Duluth Campus Fall Summit for pre-med students.

Because of student demand, the course became an elective in the Duluth curriculum.