Mothers and fathers who experienced having at least one very preterm child (born before 32 weeks of gestation) have gaps in knowledge regarding the causes and consequences of prematurity. The conclusion is of a study by the Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP) published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
“The occurrence of a very preterm birth is a disturbing event for mothers and fathers who experience this, with a short and long-term impact on the health and well-being of the entire family. These parents often report the need to obtain clear and consistent information about their baby’s health status and the hospitalization process, in order to better manage the situation they are experiencing”, explains Elisabete Alves, the coordinator of the study.
“Assessing the knowledge about prematurity of mothers and fathers of children born prematurely can contribute to the design of health education strategies that help families to manage health and/or illness situations in a more informed and autonomous manner”, adds the ISPUP researcher.
The article assessed the knowledge of 196 mothers and fathers about the prevalence of prematurity in Portugal, and regarding the causes and consequences of preterm birth. Parents, recruited through XXS – Associação Portuguesa de Apoio ao Bebé Prematuro, answered an online questionnaire, which was available between May and July 2017.
“We hoped that these parents would have more knowledge about prematurity, because they had already experienced having a very preterm child. However, we found that they have several knowledge gaps on this topic”, she says.
Gaps in knowledge about prematurity
Regarding the prevalence, in Portugal, of preterm and very preterm births, the participants indicated an estimate significantly higher than the real prevalence observed in our country.
“This overestimation may be related to the specificities of the sample itself. Knowing other families that also went through this event, as well as a greater focus on news and information on this topic, may have contributed to the overestimation of the prevalence of preterm births”, stresses Elisabete Alves.
More than 90% of the participants identified the main clinical causes for the occurrence of preterm birth, namely complications of the placenta, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, multiple pregnancy and restricted intrauterine growth.
However, mothers and fathers less frequently identified behavioral and sociodemographic characteristics as possible causes of prematurity. Only 24.2% of individuals indicated low socioeconomic status as one of the causes associated with premature birth.
“These results may be explained by the high percentage of preterm births attributable to clinical factors, as well as by the emphasis on the study of these factors in the literature from the health sciences”, she adds.
As for knowledge about the consequences of preterm birth, about half of the participants identified all of the most frequent adverse consequences of prematurity. More than 80% of parents identified cardiac complications and breathing difficulties, perhaps because they “represent serious clinical situations in the development of these children”, while behavioral problems and cognitive difficulties were less frequently recognized.
In general, mothers and fathers with a higher socioeconomic status correctly responded to questions about the prevalence, causes and consequences of prematurity, more often, than those with a low socioeconomic status.
Take action to ensure family-centered health care
The study entitled Prematurity-related knowledge among mothers and fathers of very preterm infants (available HERE) is a pioneer in assessing knowledge regarding prematurity in mothers and fathers who had a very preterm birth.
“The results of this article reveal that it is necessary to improve parents’ knowledge about prematurity, by investing in the transfer and sharing of knowledge. Understanding the barriers that make it difficult to obtain adequate knowledge about prematurity can contribute to the global improvement of the prevention of this condition”, says Elisabete Alves.
The article stresses the need to improve communication with mothers and fathers, during and after hospitalization in neonatology. “Considering the education of parents and the transfer of information by health professionals as fundamental pillars of the provision of care is important. These are crucial aspects included in the international recommendations on integrated and family-centered care”, she concludes.
The researchers Joana Matos, Mariana Amorim, Susana Silva and Conceição Nogueira also participated in the article.
Image: Pixabay/Rainer_Maiores
