Abstract

LEAL-MATEOS, Manrique  and  BARBOZA-RETANA, Jorge. Prenatal care and delivery characteristics of immigrant women at "Dr. Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia" Hospital. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2008, vol.50, n.2, pp.107-111. ISSN 0001-6002.

Aim: To examine the characteristics of prenatal control and delivery in the immigrant population that gives birth at the "Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia Hospital (HCG), Costa Rica. This study will compare the results obtained within the immigrant population with those of the native Costa Rican population and will determine the differences, if any, between the standard of prenatal care and delivery in the immigrant population and that of the native Costa Rican population. Materials and methods: This study is a cross-sectional observational study. Three hundred and sixty medical records were analyzed, patients that were treated at the HCG, but did not belong to the hospital’s attraction area or had an incomplete record were excluded. The information for the study was collected using a pre- coded information sheet similar to the one used by the country’s national health system. Results: This study demonstrates that immigrant women account for 1 out of every 5 patients giving birth at the HCG. The majority of these immigrants are young, multiparous, Nicaraguan women with adequate prenatal control. The study also shows that the morbidity in the immigrant population is similar to that of the Costa Rican population. It is also noteworthy to mention that half of the immigrant patients began their prenatal control after 13 weeks of gestation, and, had a less prenatal consults than the Costa Rican population. This finding does not seem to have any influence over delivery or neonatal outcomes in the immigrant population. Conclusion: There are no significant medical differences between the immigrant population that gives birth at the HCG and the native Costa Rican population.

Keywords : Prenatal care; delivery; pregnancy; immigrant; Rafael Calderón Guardia Hospital.

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