Impact of the French system of statutory visits on antenatal care.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A survey of a representative sample of births in France in 1976 showed that the great majority of women received at least the minimum antenatal care laid down by law: 4% of women missed one of the 3 statutory visits linked to payment of the antenatal allowance and 6% missed the 4th visit that should have taken place in the 9th month. A smaller study conducted in 2 hospitals, one in the Paris region and the other in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, showed that the date of the 1st visit did not depend on a knowledge of the regulations. In one of the hospitals, where .apprx. 95% of women made more than the 4 statutory visits, the actual number of visits made was independent of a knowledge of the statutory number. In contrast, in the other hospital, where the mean number of visits was nearer to the statutory minimum, about half the women who said that 4 visits were required made exactly that number of visits, and about half of those who gave 3 as the number made 3 visits.