Improving integrated care for (future) parents facing vulnerable circumstances in the early life course of their (future) child: An action research protocol

Introduction
Suboptimal circumstances during the early life course, ranging from 100 days before conception to 1000 days following birth, significantly impact a child’s future health and wellbeing. To optimize these circumstances, collaboration is needed which includes professionals working in medical, social and public domains, as well as parents. This action research protocol aims to improve care for (future) parents facing suboptimal circumstances during the early life course by enhancing inter-professional, cross-domain collaboration and (future) parents-professional collaboration. By employing iterative action research cycles, we seek to foster integrated care pathways and improve continuity of care across the medical, social and public domains. The research will be conducted in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Methods and analysis
Four action research cycles incorporating descriptive qualitative and quantitative studies, including focus groups, questionnaires and observations with (future) parents facing su