The Antenatal and Postnatal (ANC/PNC) Tracker

The Antenatal and Postnatal Tracker is a systematic tool used by Vital Care Connect’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) to monitor expectant and new mothers. It is a fundamental part of their operational strategy, ensuring that every woman enrolled in their program receives consistent and timely care throughout the entire “continuum of care”—from early pregnancy through the critical weeks after delivery.

Purpose and Function

The tracker is essentially a register or logbook (which can be paper-based or digital) designed to systematically follow a woman’s journey. Its primary purposes are to:

1. Ensure No One is Missed: It allows CHWs to keep a comprehensive record of all pregnant women in their designated area, ensuring no one falls through the cracks.

2. Schedule and Verify Care: It helps CHWs schedule and track crucial appointments, including antenatal clinic visits and postnatal home visits.

3. Monitor Health Status: The tool is used to log key health information, danger signs, and services received at each stage.

4. Provide Data for Action: The collected data provides Vital Care Connect with valuable insights into their program’s reach and effectiveness, helping them identify gaps and improve services.

How the Tracker Works in Practice

The process follows a clear timeline tied to the mother and baby’s health needs:

1. Enrollment (Antenatal Period):

   • When a CHW identifies a pregnant woman in the community, she is registered in the tracker.

   • Her basic information and estimated due date are recorded.

   • The CHW uses the tracker to schedule her antenatal care (ANC) visits and remind her to attend.

   • After each ANC visit, the CHW updates the tracker with notes on services received (e.g., blood pressure check, iron/folic acid supplements, tetanus vaccine).

2. Birth Preparedness:

   • As the due date approaches, the tracker prompts the CHW to discuss birth preparedness, including the importance of a facility delivery and the use of a Safe Birth Kit.

3. Postnatal Follow-up:

   • Once the baby is born, the delivery date and outcome are logged.

   • The tracker then becomes a schedule for the critical postnatal home visits. The CHW is prompted to visit the mother and newborn within the first 24 hours, on day 3, day 7, and so on, for the first six weeks.

   • During these visits, the CHW records the health status of both the mother (checking for bleeding, infection) and the newborn (checking breathing, feeding, cord care), updating the tracker at each step.

Information Captured by the Tracker

The tracker is designed to capture essential data points, including:

• Mother’s identification details.

• Estimated due date.

• Dates of antenatal care visits.

• Key services received during pregnancy.

• Any danger signs observed.

• Date and place of delivery.

• Dates of postnatal visits for both mother and baby.

• Newborn’s health status (e.g., breastfeeding, immunizations).

• Family planning counseling information.

Impact and Importance

The ANC/PNC Tracker is more than just a record-keeping tool; it is a lifeline. It transforms a reactive health approach into a proactive and systematic one. By empowering Community Health Workers with this structured tool, Vital Care Connect ensures that care is deliberate, timely, and complete, directly contributing to the prevention of maternal and newborn deaths.