ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Antenatal care is vital for pregnant women and fetuses. However, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has hindered access to care worldwide, resulting in missed appointments. Therefore, assessing the quality of antenatal care during the pandemic is crucial. This study evaluated the care provided at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Saudi Arabia and suggested areas for improvement. METHODS: This retrospective medical records review involved 400 pregnant patients who received antenatal care at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in the past two years. A checklist was used to collect patient data, including demographics, antenatal care visits, ultrasounds, gestational age at first visit and ultrasound, prior cesarean section and preterm delivery, and virtual clinic attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). RESULTS: The sample had a mean age of 30±6 years, and most participants (87.8%) were Saudi women. Over half of the participants did not attend any antenatal follow-up visits, and the majority had only one ultrasound. Only a small proportion of mothers attended virtual clinics during the pandemic. Having a prior cesarean section and a parity of 1-3 were positively associated with ultrasound attendance, while prior preterm delivery was positively associated with antenatal visits and virtual clinic attendance. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the importance of improving antenatal care quality at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, especially during COVID-19. To achieve this, strategies such as increasing visits, ultrasound attendance, and virtual clinic access should be considered. By implementing these recommendations, the hospital can enhance care and promote maternal and fetal health.
ABSTRACT
Aim: This study aimed to assess the awareness about gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among married females in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on all women in reproductive age and an electronic questionnaire was used. Data about participants' demographics, parity, BMI, pregnancy, family and personal history of chronic diseases, gestational diabetes were collected. Their knowledge about effect of gestational diabetes on mother and on neonatal outcomes and their source of information about GDM were assessed. Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.99 ± 9.44 years and 77.8% of them had poor knowledge about GDM and 6.1% had good knowledge. Multipara women with a university education had a significantly higher mean knowledge level and the most common source of participants' knowledge about GDM was social media. Conclusion: Females' knowledge about GDM was significantly low in Jeddah. Health education campaigns and mass media education are urgent to increase their awareness about GDM. Health care practitioners should focus on popularizing GDM and raising awareness of its consequences.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chorioamnionitis (CA) is a common pregnancy complication characterized by inflammation of the placental membranes and chorion. To our knowledge, there are limited studies evaluating the awareness of CA and its complications among women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to determine the awareness of married women in Jeddah toward CA and its complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2021 and August 2021. It involved 406 women who were or have been married in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were obtained via an online survey and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Different statistical tests were used for data analysis, including percentages, mean, frequency, and chi-square. Content validity and reliability were checked. Based on a woman's knowledge score, the score was classified into three levels: good knowledge level (score: 9-12), fair knowledge level (score: 5-8), and poor knowledge level (score: 0-4). RESULTS: Of the total number of women who participated in the study, most of them had a poor knowledge score about CA complications (49.95%), and only 8.1% had good knowledge. Among the women, 25% had previously heard about CA, while only 2.5% were diagnosed with CA, and 50% of these women delivered by cesarean section. Analysis showed a significant relationship between women who had CA and their birth method (p = 0.000). However, there was a nonsignificant difference between the females' knowledge and their age (p = 0.297), or their level of education (p = 0.099). CONCLUSION: The study concluded that there was a poor level of knowledge regarding CA and its complications among women who experienced pregnancy.
