Understanding VA Maternity Care Coordinators Interactions and Collaboration With Primary Care Providers. Mil Med 2025 Feb 27;190(3-4):e728-e735
Date
08/31/2024Pubmed ID
39212953DOI
10.1093/milmed/usae408Scopus ID
2-s2.0-86000520598 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Maternal morbidity is higher among the Veteran population in part because of high rates of chronic medical and mental health conditions. To improve care for pregnant Veterans, the Department of Veteran Affairs created the position of the Maternity Care Coordinator (MCC) to provide care coordination during a Veteran's pregnancy. Maternity Care Coordinators must work with primary care providers (PCPs); yet, little is known about their collaboration and interaction. The objective of this work is to better understand how MCCs interact with PCPs.
METHOD: Between March and May of 2021, we conducted qualitative interviews with 30 MCCs using a semi-structured interview guide to learn about their role and interactions with PCPs.
RESULTS: We identified 3 main themes in interactions between MCCs and PCPs, which correlated to times during the Veteran's pregnancy: initial interactions, care coordination during the pregnancy, and end of pregnancy transitions of care. Most MCCs indicated a positive and collaborative relationship with PCPs. There was significant variability in how closely MCCs worked with PCPs. MCCs reported that PCPs were not always comfortable caring for pregnant Veterans.
DISCUSSION: Although MCCs generally indicated a positive and collaborative interaction with PCPs, our data suggest that there are opportunities to improve communication between PCPs and MCCs and to educate PCPs on knowledge of maternity benefits, the role of the MCC, and how to care for pregnant and postpartum Veterans. The Veteran Affairs MCC can also serve as a model for other health systems aiming to improve care coordinator among pregnant patients.
Author List
Farkas AH, Bopp K, Ndakuya-Fitzgerald F, Lopez AA, Haeger KO, Whittle J, Mu QAuthors
Alexa Anderson PhD Associate Professor in the Nursing department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeAmy H. Farkas MD, MS Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Jeffrey Whittle MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultCooperative Behavior
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Maternal Health Services
Pregnancy
Primary Health Care
Qualitative Research
United States
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans
