Questions and Answers About

Some PRAMS mothers say...

"I'm glad there are people out there to take the time to help others with problems. Thank you!"

"I hope you learn a lot from your survey. It's nice to know someone cares!"

"I think what you're doing is great!"

Maine PRAMS - Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System

One Pager for Providers (PDF)

What is PRAMS?

The Maine Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a survey that asks new mothers questions about their pregnancy and their new baby. The answers give us important information about the mother and the baby. They help us learn why some babies are born healthy and others are not. No matter how your pregnancy went, your answers will help improve the chances of future mothers and babies in Maine to have good health.

How was I chosen to participate?

Your name was picked by chance by a computer from the Maine Birth Certificate Registry. Only one in ten mothers are picked to be in the survey.

Are my answers really important?

Yes, very important! Every pregnancy is different. To get a better overall picture of the health of mothers and babies in Maine, we need each mother to answer the questions. Your experiences with health care in Maine are very important. We want to know what happened to you while you were pregnant.

Will my answers be kept private?

Yes! All names and answers are kept private. No one will know the names of the mothers or how they answered the survey questions. Your answers will be kept as private as the law allows. Your answers will be used only for research. Procedures are in place to make sure that your answers are kept confidential.

What happens with PRAMS information?

The answers from all mothers who return a survey are grouped together, then they are used:

  • in developing health programs and policies;
  • to help doctors and nurses improve care;
  • to help program managers make better decisions about the use of health resources.

How can I help?

  • Answer all the questions.
  • Mail your answers back to us in the prepaid survey envelope as soon as you can.

Benefits of participating?

  • The main benefit of doing that survey is that the information that you give us will be used to help plan programs to help mothers and babies in Maine.
  • The individual benefit is that you will receive a small gift for participating in the study.

For more information

If you have any questions about PRAMS or would like a phone interview, please call toll free at 1-800-239-7889 or if you are in the Augusta area call 287-5469.