Community for Antepartum Patients (CAP): Establishing an Inpatient Model for Group Prenatal Care at Duke (2025-2026)

The Community Antepartum Patients (CAP) project addresses a critical gap in prenatal care by bringing the group care model into an inpatient setting at Duke Hospital. Preterm birth affects approximately 10 percent of pregnancies in the United States and disproportionately impacts Black mothers, who face nearly twice the risk of preterm delivery compared to non-Hispanic white women. Hospitalized patients experiencing high-risk pregnancies often spend weeks away from their support systems, losing their connection to community at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives.

Each week, the CAP team facilitated one-hour group sessions on Duke Hospital’s antepartum unit, bringing together hospitalized patients for community building, mindfulness exercises and education on topics chosen to reflect patient priorities. These included managing common antepartum diagnoses, coping with stress and family separation, breastfeeding and lactation support, pelvic floor physical therapy and preparing for the neonatal intensive care unit. Building on the 2025-2026 project team, this year's team expanded the program, integrating expertise from additional healthcare professionals and community partners, including lactation consultants, neonatologists and physical therapists. 

One of the team's key successes has been creating a sustainable, replicable care model rooted in community and patient-centered education that can be replicated at other institutions. The research component provided rigorous quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the impacts of the weekly sessions on patient outcomes.

Timing

Fall 2025 – Spring 2026

Team Outputs

Community for Antepartum Patients: An Inpatient Intervention For Prenatal Care (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 15, 2026)

Sustainable inpatient group care model ready for adaptation at other institutions

Educational session materials

Manuscript or scholarly product summarizing program outcomes (in progress)