CMAJ • June 20, 2006; 174 (13). doi:10.1503/cmaj.1060102.
© 2006 CMA Media Inc. or its licensors
All editorial matter in CMAJ represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Letters

ALPHA form: additional resources

Anthony J. Reid For the ALPHA Group

Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.

Further to our article describing use of the Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment (ALPHA) form,1 we wish to inform CMAJ readers about a Web site (http://dfcm19.med.utoronto.ca/research/alpha/default.htm) that presents several related resources: (1) English and French translations of the form; (2) versions of the form for completion by both providers and patients; (3) guide to using the form in practice (a printed version of this document is also available through the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto); and (4) links to other related sites.

On the basis of trials that have documented the utility the ALPHA form and the feasibility of its use,1–3 as well as our own clinical experience, we suggest that the form provides an efficient method of checking this important area of concern in busy maternity practice. As we discovered in the trials, women are comfortable with the process, and providers have often uncovered important but unexpected psychosocial information. Conversely, no providers have reported problems related to "opening a can of worms" while using the form.

We believe that assessing psychosocial well-being is an essential component of good prenatal care, and the ALPHA form is a useful tool for doing so.

REFERENCE

  1. Carroll JC, Reid AJ, Biringer A, et al. Effectiveness of the Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment (ALPHA) form in detecting psychosocial concerns: a randomized, controlled trial. CMAJ 2005;173(3): 253-9.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  2. Reid AJ, Biringer A, Carroll JD, et al. Using the ALPHA form in practice to assess antenatal psychosocial health. CMAJ 1998;159(6):677-84.[Abstract]
  3. Midmer D, Bryanton J, Brown R. Assessing antenatal psychosocial health. Randomized controlled trial of two versions of the ALPHA form. Can Fam Physician 2004;50:80-7.[Abstract/Free Full Text]




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