Antenatal care in the European Union: a survey on guidelines in all 25 member states of the Community.
OBJECTIVE
A comprehensive review of the content of national guidelines on antenatal care for normal pregnancies in the member states of the European Union was required to find out whether a common minimum guideline would be of benefit to complement national public health policies, and what this guideline might contain.


METHODS
A structured questionnaire was sent to the Ministries of Health and the societies of obstetricians and midwives. Descriptive analyses identified which and how many member states recommend a test, to how many people this applied, and whether there was a correlation between the gross national product and the number of tests recommended.


RESULTS
Answers were obtained from all 25 member states. Twenty of them have a national guideline. Forty-seven tests were reported and 23 of these are recommended for routine care by more than 50% of the countries and apply to more than 50% of inhabitants. Those tests are also supported by scientific evidence. Countries with a GNP below EU-average recommend more tests than the others.


CONCLUSIONS
For the first time it has been demonstrated what the member states of the EU recommend for antenatal care. Based on this, a common minimum guideline for antenatal care in the EU is recommended.
Bernloehr
Annette
A
European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK. annette.bernloehr@t-online.de
Smith
Pam
P
Vydelingum
Vasso
V
D019985:Benchmarking; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe; D005062:European Union; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards*; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires