2019
Beliefs about medicines and information needs among pregnant women visiting a tertiary hospital in Belgium
Publication
Publication
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology , Volume 75 - Issue 7 p. 995- 1003
Purpose To explore beliefs about medicines and information needs among pregnant women visiting a tertiary hospital in Belgium and to identify patient characteristics associated with beliefs about medicines. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed at the outpatient obstetrics clinic of the University Hospital Leuven, Belgium, between December 2016 and March 2017. All pregnant women ≥ 18 years were invited to complete a web survey. The survey consisted of general and pregnancy-specific statements of the BBeliefs about Medicines^ questionnaire and questions about information needs. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact tests, and multinomial logistic regression were used to analyze the findings. Results In total, 372 pregnant women participated. Most women showed positive attitudes towards medicines in general. However, almost 90% of women agreed to have a higher threshold to use medicines during pregnancy compared with nonpregnant situations. Likewise, 40% preferred natural remedies during pregnancy. Education in healthcare and education level were the main determinants associated with beliefs, with highly educated women showing a higher threshold to use medicines during pregnancy (p = 0.005). Most women searched online for pregnancy-related information (85%) and for information about medicines (74%). However, less than one-third discussed online-retrieved information with healthcare professionals (HCPs). Conclusions Pregnant women visiting a tertiary hospital in Belgium showed a higher threshold to use medicines during pregnancy compared with non-pregnant situations and had high information needs, including for information about medicines during pregnancy. HCPs should be aware of women’s individual beliefs, guide them towards reliable websites, and discuss onlineretrieved information during counseling
Additional Metadata | |
---|---|
doi.org/10.1007/s00228-019-02653-w, hdl.handle.net/1765/117768 | |
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology | |
Organisation | Department of Pediatric Surgery |
Ceulemans, M., van Calsteren, K., Allegaert, K., & Foulon, V. (2019). Beliefs about medicines and information needs among pregnant women visiting a tertiary hospital in Belgium. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 75(7), 995–1003. doi:10.1007/s00228-019-02653-w |