513
Views
19
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Short Report

Prenatal education is an opportunity for improved outcomes in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: results from an Internet-based survey

, , &
Pages 1565-1567 | Received 27 Nov 2012, Accepted 16 Apr 2013, Published online: 20 Aug 2013
 

Abstract

Current prenatal care (PNC) practice guidelines provide little information on educating patients about preeclampsia. Our survey of 754 women who visited the Preeclampsia Foundation website found that most received PNC and regular screenings, but only 42% “definitely” recalled specific education about preeclampsia; furthermore, only half “fully understood” the explanation. However, 27 of the 169 women (75.0%) who understood acted on this knowledge by promptly reporting symptoms and complying with treatment. Of the 46 who did not remember some or any of the education, 3 (6.0%) took any action; the difference between these two groups is highly significant. We conclude that knowledge enables women to spot signs and symptoms, leading to earlier diagnosis and management, and reduced morbidity and mortality. We propose the adoption of formal guidelines on preeclampsia education.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank J. Thomas Viall for help in refining questionnaire items and Annika Glass for her literature review. They are also grateful to the many women who gave their time and contributed their experiences to this study.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.