Gaps in research related to access to prenatal care in Colombia

Abstract

Objective. Identify the gaps in research related to access to prenatal care program (PCP) according to Colombian studies published between 1998 and 2018. Methods. Critical review of the state of the art and a description of the relation between the number of articles by departments of the country and three indicators related to the PCP program. A search for articles in English or Spanish was carried out in Ebsco, ProQuest, Medline, Science Direct, Scielo, and Pubmed, and official national documents were also reviewed. The PCP indicators were obtained from the national health information system. Department, type of study, definition of access, and related factors were identified. Results. 25 articles and seven official national documents were included. Quantitative studies predominated. 28% of the studies did not report an operational definition of access. Access was measured as use of service. The most frequent definition was attendance at one, four or more consultations. Socio-demographic factors were the most frequently explored. Studies on access to PC were not found for 20 of the country’s 33 departments. Conclusions. Agreement was not found in the definition of access, nor was there homogeneity in the variables or categories explored. There was a lack of studies in most departments with worst PCP indicators. Interventions are needed in the country to reduce these research disparities.