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Multidisciplinary Collaborative Development of a Plain‐Language Prenatal Education Book
Author(s) -
MottlSantiago Julie,
Fox Carolyn Shepard,
Pecci Christine Chang,
Iverson Ronald
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of midwifery and women's health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1542-2011
pISSN - 1526-9523
DOI - 10.1111/jmwh.12059
Subject(s) - multidisciplinary approach , literacy , prenatal care , medicine , medical education , nursing , plain language , population , health literacy , pregnancy , health care , psychology , sociology , pedagogy , political science , social science , environmental health , law , biology , genetics
During pregnancy, women actively seek out health information that promotes the well‐being of themselves and their fetuses. For those with health literacy challenges, access to understandable health information can be difficult. Written information, in particular, needs to be readable and usable by the women served. Plain language is an essential component of effective health education material. In an effort to create standardized prenatal education materials for a diverse population of childbearing women, Boston Medical Center's midwifery service led a multidisciplinary initiative to develop a comprehensive plain‐language prenatal education book. Midwives, obstetricians, family physicians, nurses, and community doulas contributed to the content of the book; art students provided graphic design skills; and a literacy consultant assisted in the wording and layout. The Hey Mama ! book provides women with woman‐centered, readable, comprehensive information about pregnancy, labor, postpartum, and newborn care.