Attitude of pregnant women regarding antenatal visits

Abstract EN

Objectives : To evaluate the psychosocial effect of reduction in the number of antenatal visits on pregnant women.

Methods : 267 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Queen Alia Military Hospital during the period between July 2003 and May 2004 were interviewed.

A structured interview questionnaire that was adopted by Hinshaw K and his colleagues was used for the evaluation.

The questionnaire covered three items ; opinions about the number of visits, whether it is necessary to go to hospital antenatal clinic for uncomplicated pregnancy, and the style of antenatal care preferred in uncomplicated pregnancy.

Women were selected randomly regardless of their parity and duration of pregnancy.

Women with antenatal complications or medical problems that require frequent antenatal visits were not included in the study.

Results : 86.9 % of women thought that the number of antenatal visits was just right, 13.1 % thought it was either too few or too many.

84.6 % pregnant women stated that it was necessary to go to hospital antenatal clinic for uncomplicated pregnancy, while 6.7 % said it was not necessary.

70.8 % of patients said that they would like to receive care from an obstetrician in hospitals.

Conclusions : Patterns of antenatal care involving fewer routine visits for women may lead to reduced psychosocial effectiveness and dissatisfaction with frequency of visits along with increase in maternal anxiety that may be provoked by reducing the number of routine antenatal visits.