Assessing antenatal psychosocial health. Randomized controlled trial of two versions of the ALPHA form.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether participants preferred a provider-completed or self-reported antenatal psychosocial health assessment (ALPHA) form, to evaluate the forms' effectiveness in facilitating disclosure of psychosocial issues, and to determine whether different providers gathered different information.

DESIGN Randomized controlled study.

SETTING Offices of family physicians and public health nurses (PHNs) in three health regions on Prince Edward Island.

PARTICIPANTS Physicians, PHNs, and 76 pregnant women.

INTERVENTIONS Participants completed one form and a questionnaire on theirexperience. Providers were also interviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Suitability and effectiveness of the forms and frequency of issues disclosed by type of form and provider.

RESULTS Most participants would recommend routine use of the ALPHA form for all pregnant women. Of the 238 psychosocial issues disclosed, significantly more were disclosed to physicians than to PHNs.

CONCLUSION Both forms were acceptable to women and providers (no clear preference emerged) and were effective at gathering information. Physicians gathered significantly more information than PHNs.