Comparing In-Office Only Prenatal Care to Telehealth-Integrated Approach: A Pandemic Perspective

A study conducted by Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) found that combining in-office visits with telemedicine for prenatal care is an effective alternative, particularly for individuals facing access barriers. The study evaluated the outcomes of a multimodal model of in-office visits and telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that it was associated with similar maternal and newborn outcomes compared to in-office only care. The proportion of telemedicine visits increased from 11.1% to 21.3%, and there were no significant differences in primary health outcomes except for an increase in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission rates. The study suggests that the multimodal model shows promise for improving access to prenatal care.