How many antenatal visits are required prenatally?

Appeared in: Maharashtra CHO - 2020

Explanation

The World Health Organization (WHO) established the Focused Antenatal Care (FANC) model, which recommends a minimum of four comprehensive visits for a woman with a low-risk pregnancy.
This model is designed to be a goal-oriented approach, ensuring that critical health assessments, screenings, and preventive measures are delivered at key points during gestation.
The four visits are strategically timed to detect and manage problems, promote health, and prepare for birth, thereby improving maternal and neonatal outcomes.
While newer guidelines suggest more frequent contact, the 4-visit schedule is the established minimum requirement in many national health programs and a standard for nursing knowledge.

Option A: Three visits are insufficient to cover all the essential checks required throughout the pregnancy, particularly the assessments needed in the late second and early third trimesters.
Option C: Two visits would miss crucial opportunities for monitoring fetal growth, screening for conditions like pre-eclampsia, and preparing for delivery.
Option D: While six visits would offer more opportunities for monitoring than the minimum, it is not the standard minimum number defined by the WHO's FANC model.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain WHO Recommended Minimum Antenatal Care (ANC) Visits as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Antenatal care is a cornerstone of preventive healthcare in pregnancy, proven to reduce maternal and infant mortality and morbidity by identifying and managing risks early.
Nurses are central to delivering ANC, performing assessments, providing health education on nutrition, danger signs, and birth preparedness, and offering psychological support.
What if? If a woman is identified as high-risk (e.g., due to pre-existing hypertension, diabetes, or a multiple gestation), the number of antenatal visits would be increased significantly beyond the minimum of four, following a specialized and more frequent monitoring schedule tailored to her specific condition.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the question as a factual recall question based on established public health guidelines.
Recognize that the term 'required' typically refers to the minimum standard of care.
Recall the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines for prenatal care, specifically the Focused Antenatal Care (FANC) model.
The FANC model specifies a minimum of four visits for a low-risk pregnancy.
Scan the options to find the number that matches this guideline.
Select the option corresponding to '4'.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Q6vyOQbDzXrpsaEHpsqVlg

E6 Midwifery Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing Sandeep Kaur p. 32-40

Practise the full Maharashtra CHO - 2020

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.