Perceived prenatal learning needs of multigravid Ghanaian women

Abstract

Objective: to explore the learning needs of multigravid Ghanaian women in an effort to develop more effective prenatal education programmes. Design: a descriptive-exploratory design consisting of in-depth individual semi-structured interviews and a single focus group. Setting: prenatal clinic of a large hospital in a city in Ghana, Africa. Participants: 18 multigravid Ghanaian women between 38 and 40 weeks of gestation who were not experiencing complications with the index pregnancy. Findings: the women reported particular learning needs that were not being addressed during their prenatal care. They identified areas where they wanted more information about specific topics such as birth control, sexual activity during pregnancy and promoting ideal fetal positions. They also wanted information about how to care for themselves and their babies after birth. They received information from staff at the prenatal clinic that sometimes conflicted with what they learned from those in their informal support system (e.g. mothers and friends). Key conclusions: inconsistency with respect to information received from health professionals and that received from other sources of support created tension that led to increased doubt and anxiety on the part of the women. They reported that they wanted more in-depth information that was relevant to their specific needs and solution centred. They wanted a more interactive educational process including some separate teaching sessions specifically for multigravid women. They also wanted access to information during both private and group encounters with health-care professionals. Implications for practice: information and strategies deemed to be of interest and importance to these multigravid women, such as private counselling sessions to address individual concerns about safe sexual health and birth control, and interactive groups for multigravid women, could be implemented to increase interest and promote the well-being of these women. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.