Premium
Receipt of information and women's attitudes towards ultrasound scanning during pregnancy
Author(s) -
Whynes D. K.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.202
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1469-0705
pISSN - 0960-7692
DOI - 10.1046/j.0960-7692.2001.00517.x
Subject(s) - medicine , receipt , pregnancy , feeling , audit , family medicine , ultrasound , obstetrics , gynecology , radiology , social psychology , psychology , genetics , management , world wide web , computer science , economics , biology
Objective To audit women's receipt of information during routine antenatal ultrasound investigations; and to investigate women's perceptions of, and attitudes towards, routine screening. Design Analysis of the records of 384 women from in and around Nottingham, UK, who maintained a diary throughout the course of their pregnancies. Results The mean number of ultrasound scans received by each women during her pregnancy was 2.6, with more than 96% of women receiving at least one scan. Women initially scanned earlier received more scans in total. Women appeared aware of the specific reasons for each scan being undertaken, and only a minority were dissatisfied by the information they had received. The preponderance of information received during the scans related to results and arrangements for subsequent visits, with only 10% of women reporting receiving information about the procedure itself. Most women reported positive feelings towards scanning, and few gave indications that they would prefer changes in the conduct of the procedure. Conclusions The great majority of the women in our study were satisfied with their experiences of routine ultrasound scanning, accepting the procedure uncritically. Copyright © 2002 ISUOG