RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: to investigate how women who attended group antenatal care experienced the information they received, compared with women who attended traditional antenatal care, and their satisfaction with the form of care. The aim was also to determine the effect of group antenatal care on women's social networks compared with traditional antenatal care. DESIGN AND SETTING: a pilot study with an intervention group (group antenatal care) and a control group (traditional antenatal care). Both groups were selected through informed choice. A questionnaire and a follow-up telephone call, using a structured questionnaire, were used to evaluate both groups. PARTICIPANTS: for each woman who had chosen to be in the intervention group, two women who had chosen traditional antenatal care were selected from the same antenatal clinic and given the same questionnaire. FINDINGS: 35/45 (77%) women in the intervention group returned a completed questionnaire, compared with 40/85 (48%) women in the control group. There was little difference in satisfaction with information between the two groups, and overall satisfaction was high. KEY CONCLUSIONS: at six months post partum, the women who attended group antenatal care still met others from the group more regularly than the women who attended traditional antenatal care. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: group antenatal care is well accepted by women, and can better utilise midwives' time.