Objective: To compare newborn outcomes and costs of hospital stays for twins born to mothers receiving care in a specialized twin clinic with a research-based care protocol and one consistent caregiver versus twins whose mothers received standard prenatal care.
Design and setting: A retrospective, historical cohort study conducted in a high-risk obstetric clinic in central Texas.
Patients: Thirty women pregnant with twins received specialized care. The comparison group consisted of 41 women pregnant with twins who received standard care.
Interventions: An advanced practice nurse provided prenatal care, which included weekly clinic visits, home visits, and 24-hour availability for phone support.
Outcome measures: Gestational age at birth, birth weight, length of stay in the neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU), and hospital charges for the newborns.
Results: No newborns of less than 30 weeks gestation were born to women in the specialized care group, the mean birth weight was 249 g (SD +/- 77) higher, days in the NICU were reduced from a mean of 17 to 7, and hospital charges were $30,000 less per infant.
Conclusions: Newborn outcomes were improved and length of stay and hospital charges were significantly reduced for newborns whose mothers had received care in the specialized twin clinic.