A dedicated prenatal consultation program for expectant fathers successfully widened access to preventive healthcare, clinical screening, and medical follow-up, according to findings from an interventional study published in BMC Health Services Research. The clinical investigation, named the PARTAGE project, evaluated the implementation of a dedicated medical consultation for future fathers during their partners’ pregnancies, aiming to support health preservation and clinical improvement. Researchers determined that offering this structured clinical visit generated substantial health benefits across the participant cohort, including high uptake of testing for human immunodeficiency virus, catch-up vaccinations for common infectious diseases, the diagnosis of previously undetected medical conditions, and the resumption of medical care for illnesses that had previously fallen out of clinical follow-up.
In standard healthcare delivery, prenatal care provides expectant mothers with regular, established access to medical services throughout pregnancy, but no equivalent preventative framework currently exists for expectant fathers. The PARTAGE project was initiated to test an approach to bridge this gap in preventative health services by engaging men during the prenatal period. The authors sought to describe the direct clinical outcomes emerging from these paternal prenatal consultations and to identify the demographic, social, and economic factors associated with those outcomes among participating men.
Methodologically, PARTAGE was conducted as a monocentric interventional study without a control arm, implemented within a large public hospital maternity ward located in a northeastern suburb of Paris, an urban area characterized by a prevailing immigrant population. The recruitment process relied on eligible pregnant women receiving prenatal services at the maternity ward, who were offered the opportunity to provide contact details for their male partners. Study staff successfully contacted 2,516 eligible prospective fathers through this approach, ultimately including 1,333 men in the study cohort. In addition, 14 other men sought and attended the paternal consultation directly. The clinical trial was retrospectively registered under the identifier NCT05085717 on ClinicalTrials.gov with the United States National Library of Medicine on October 20, 2021, with the complete study protocol made available as an additional file.
During each paternal prenatal appointment, either a physician
During each paternal prenatal appointment, either a physician or a midwife conducted a comprehensive medical interview with the participant. Depending on each prospective father’s evaluated needs, the clinician prescribed immediate biological tests, administered on-site catch-up vaccinations, and provided formal referrals to external healthcare professionals or social services. The clinical evaluations revealed substantial gaps in prior preventative care among the men: 37 percent of participants reported that they had never been tested for HIV in their lifetimes, and 96 percent had not undergone HIV testing during or immediately prior to the current pregnancy. When the consultation offered HIV screening, only 1 percent of eligible participants refused the test. Immunization assessments similarly demonstrated widespread gaps, showing that 72 percent of participants were out-of-date for pertussis or measles vaccines; among those under-vaccinated individuals, 60 percent received immediate on-site catch-up immunizations during their appointment.
Beyond routine preventive measures and immunizations, the paternal consultations served as an important diagnostic and re-engagement pathway for clinical conditions. The study documented that 18 percent of participants had at least one pathology diagnosed or brought back into active care. Furthermore, 17 percent of participants received referrals to healthcare professionals for specialized or ongoing management, and 11 percent received referrals to social workers for social support services. To understand which prospective fathers were most likely to require medical intervention, the investigators conducted multivariate statistical analyses evaluating the relationship between participant characteristics and clinical endpoints.
The multivariate analysis revealed significant associations between participants’ origins, health coverage, and their clinical outcomes. Being born in Sub-Saharan Africa rather than in France was significantly associated with receiving a medical diagnosis, yielding an odds ratio of 2.67 with a 95 percent confidence interval of 1.80 to 3.98. Being born in Sub-Saharan Africa was also associated with an increased likelihood of referral to a healthcare professional, demonstrating an identical odds ratio of 2.67 and a 95 percent confidence interval of 1.80 to 3.98. Similarly, having no health insurance coverage rather than complete coverage was strongly associated with receiving a medical diagnosis, with an odds ratio of 2.58 and a 95 percent confidence interval of 1.63 to 4.09, as well as with being referred to a healthcare professional, which had an odds ratio of 3.63 and a 95 percent confidence interval of 2.27 to 5.80.
The study authors concluded that the PARTAGE intervention
The study authors concluded that the PARTAGE intervention successfully facilitated HIV screening and catch-up immunizations across the entire study population while diagnosing undetected illnesses and restoring care for conditions that had lapsed from medical follow-up. These clinical diagnoses and linkage benefits were particularly pronounced among the most socially disadvantaged expectant fathers, notably immigrants and uninsured men. Based on these findings, the researchers emphasized that addressing men’s health during their partner’s pregnancy provides a valuable clinical opportunity that may help reduce persistent gender and social inequalities in healthcare access.
Subject of Research: Prenatal consultations for expectant fathers and healthcare access
Article Title: Does a prenatal consultation dedicated to fathers’ health widen men’s access to prevention and care?
Article References: Penot, P., Jacob, G., Guerizec, A., Letembet, V.-A., Harich, R., Simon, A., de Sousa Mendes, M., Manuellan, P.-E., Renevier, B., Yazdanpanah, Y., & du Loû, A. D. (2026). Does a prenatal consultation dedicated to fathers’ health widen men’s access to prevention and care?. BMC Health Services Research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-026-15846-8
DOI:10.1186/s12913-026-15846-8
Keywords: prenatal care, men’s health, preventive medicine, HIV screening, vaccination catch-up, health disparities, PARTAGE project, maternal and child health, Does, prenatal, consultation, dedicated
News. Dedicated Prenatal Consultations Expand Healthcare and Preventive Access for Expectant Fathers. Scienmag
