'It Was a Bit of a Now or Never Situation': Experiences of Preconception Care and Support for Women With Multiple Long‐Term Health Conditions.
Introduction: One in five women enters pregnancy with multiple long‐term health conditions, which is associated with increased risks of adverse maternal and child outcomes. There is a lack of research exploring individuals' experiences of preconception care for these women, which is also reflected i...
| Publicado en: | Health Expectations Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 1 - 15 |
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Wiley-Blackwell
Feb2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=191835421&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 191835421 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 13696513 EVY jtl: Health Expectations issn: 13696513 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Feb2026 vid: 29 iid: 1 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell place: Malden, Massachusetts artinfo: ui: 191835421 191835421 191835421 10.1111/hex.70583 191835421 ppf: 1 ppct: 14 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: 'It Was a Bit of a Now or Never Situation': Experiences of Preconception Care and Support for Women With Multiple Long‐Term Health Conditions. aug: au: Hanley, Stephanie J. McCann, Sharon Lee, Siang Ing Schoenaker, Danielle Singh, Megha Moss, Ngawai Nishshanka, Nishshanka Mudiyanselage Chamendi Lakshrieni Vowles, Zoe Plachcinski, Rachel Nirantharakumar, Krishnarajah Black, Mairead Locock, Louise Taylor, Beck affil: Department of Applied Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK sug: subj: Women Psychosocial Factors Chronic Disease Comorbidity Patient Attitudes Evaluation Attitude to Illness Evaluation Prepregnancy Care Attitude to Medical Treatment Evaluation Support, Psychosocial Health Personnel Psychosocial Factors Attitude of Health Personnel Evaluation Human Pregnancy Female Adult Secondary Analysis Qualitative Studies Thematic Analysis Descriptive Statistics Patient Education Health Promotion Methods Funding Source Adult: 19-44 years Female ab: Introduction: One in five women enters pregnancy with multiple long‐term health conditions, which is associated with increased risks of adverse maternal and child outcomes. There is a lack of research exploring individuals' experiences of preconception care for these women, which is also reflected in existing guidelines that predominantly focus on single health conditions. This study aimed to explore experiences of preconception care and support among women with multiple long‐term health conditions and health professionals. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of qualitative data collected by the MuM‐PreDiCT consortium. The primary study involved semi‐structured interviews between March 2022 and May 2023 with pregnant (> 28 weeks) and postnatal (< 2 years) women with multiple long‐term physical and/or mental health conditions in the United Kingdom, and healthcare professionals involved in their care. Data captured within the preconception coding reports were analysed thematically. Results: Fifty‐seven women and 51 healthcare professionals were interviewed. Six themes were identified from the thematic analysis. Women and professionals described the importance of tailored preconception care and support, incorporating condition‐focused counselling (sub‐theme 1) and medication planning (sub‐theme 2). Sensitive and realistic care and support were considered essential, but women had mixed experiences of involvement and empathy from different professionals. The significance of optimising antenatal care by making every preconception contact count was emphasised by both women and professionals, who valued early referrals, specialist input and integration of services. Although professionals viewed the preconception period as an opportunity to empower women, many women felt they had to self‐advocate and seek information due to gaps in professional awareness, knowledge and education. Professionals reported differing views on who, within the care team, should take responsibility for care delivery. Some believed that women should play an active role in managing their health, including initiating conversations around pregnancy intentions. The delivery of preconception care was complicated by a range of challenges, including a lack of service integration, availability, time and funding. Conclusion: Women with long‐term health conditions can experience substantial gaps in preconception care, characterised by inconsistent guidance and limited access to tailored, reliable support, which frequently leads to feelings of isolation and the need to seek additional information when preparing for pregnancy. These results will inform the co‐development of a care bundle for affected women. Patient or Public Contribution: Our Patient and Public Involvement group was involved in the design of the study and the analysis and interpretation of the data, and two public study investigators are part of the author group. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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