Asking About Pregnancy Intentions in Primary Care
Author Information
Author(s): Jennifer Hall, Helen Carr, Anne Connolly, Geraldine Barrett
Primary Institution: University College London
Hypothesis
How can healthcare professionals effectively ask about pregnancy intentions in primary care settings?
Conclusion
Asking about pregnancy intentions is acceptable to women and healthcare professionals and can be feasibly implemented in primary care with appropriate adaptations.
Supporting Evidence
- HCPs found asking about pregnancy preferences valuable for patient care.
- Most HCPs felt confident in discussing pregnancy intentions after training.
- Digital tools for self-management were suggested to facilitate discussions.
Takeaway
Doctors and nurses can ask patients about their plans for having a baby, and most people are okay with it as long as it's done in a friendly way.
Methodology
Qualitative study using online semi-structured interviews with primary healthcare professionals.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the self-selection of participants and the limited diversity in gender among healthcare professionals.
Limitations
The study included only English-speaking healthcare professionals, which may limit the applicability of findings to non-English speakers.
Participant Demographics
Participants included GPs, practice nurses, sexual and reproductive health professionals, and health visitors, with varied experience levels.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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