The effects of an educational programme about preeclampsia on women's awareness: a randomised control trial.

AIM: To examine the effects of an interventional programme about preeclampsia on high-risk preeclampsia Jordanian women's awareness and pregnancy outcomes. BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal death and illness globally, and has a high rate in Jordan compared to other countries. Increasing preeclampsia awareness is recommended to prevent its serious complications. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a public hospital in Jordan. A consecutive sample of 113 pregnant high-risk preeclampsia women was recruited and divided randomly into interventional and control groups. A questionnaire comprising seven terms on demographics and 51 questions assessing women's awareness on preeclampsia was used. The intervention group received a 2-h educational programme about preeclampsia with self-monitoring of blood pressure and urine protein and routine care, while the control group received a 2-h educational programme relevant to urinary tract infection and received routine care. A pretest was carried out at baseline and 2 weeks after the intervention, a post-test was performed for the two groups. RESULTS: The results revealed a significant difference in mean scores for awareness of preeclampsia in the interventional group compared to the control group after conducting the education programme. A significant difference was also found between both groups in terms of Apgar scores at 1st min and 5th min and mean diastolic BP. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING, HEALTH AND EDUCATION POLICY: Preeclampsia educational programme is effective in improving preeclampsia awareness and some pregnancy outcomes. Midwifery and nursing educators are highly encouraged to train midwives and nurses to be effective health professionals. Health educational programmes need to be designed by professionals based on an updated evidence and women's needs. It is of importance that these programmes focus on involving women in their health care by self-monitoring and providing women with the necessary resources to improve pregnancy outcomes.

Job satisfaction, work environment and intent to stay of Jordanian midwives.

AIM: The aims of this study were to (1) assess the levels of Jordanian midwives' job satisfaction, intention to stay and work environment; (2) examine the relationship between work environment and intention to stay, and the level of job satisfaction among midwives working in Jordanian hospitals and maternal and child health centres and (3) to investigate the associations between job satisfaction and selected demographic variables among Jordanian midwives. BACKGROUND: The shortage, turnover and retention of midwives are global problems and Jordan is one of the countries thathas a shortage of midwifery workforce. Job satisfaction is well studied among nurses worldwide; however, there are inadequate studies that have assessed the job satisfaction among midwives including Jordan. METHODS: A descriptive, correlational design survey was used and a sample of 413 midwives were recruited from 14 different hospital settings (12 governmental and 2 teaching hospitals) and 8 health centres. RESULTS: The levels of job satisfaction of Jordanian midwives were neither satisfied nor unsatisfied. The overall mean intent to stay at work was between neutral to agree in general. A positive significant correlation was found between job satisfaction, work environment and intent to stay. The work environment was neither a favourable nor an unfavourable. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING, HEALTH AND EDUCATION POLICY: Jordanian midwives have neutral job satisfaction and work environment. Managerial plans and interventions are needed to improve midwives' job satisfaction and to create a favourable work environment which might reflect positively on their work and performance and improve their retention. Policymakers and mangers should enhance midwives' job satisfaction through external reward via salary, vacation and benefits packages. Engaging in research activities, publication and more collaboration with academic staff may improve midwives' professional development. Midwives should take more active roles in hospital affairs and receive more support by their management in Jordan.

Pregnancy outcomes among Syrian refugee and Jordanian women: a comparative study.

AIM: To compare pregnancy outcomes of Syrian refugee women and Jordanian women. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION: In the past few years, thousands of Syrians fled Syria to neighbouring countries such as Jordan as a result of the continuing conflict in their country. Pregnant refugee women are facing many difficulties that increase the prevalence of antenatal complications. However, there is limited awareness of whether Syrian refugee women have different risks of pregnancy outcomes than Jordanian women. METHODS: Using a retrospective cohort design, we examined pregnancy outcomes for Syrian refugee (N = 616) and Jordanian women (N = 644) giving birth at two governmental hospital in northern Jordan, between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2014. A checklist of 13 variables was utilized. The primary outcome measures were delivery by Caesarean section, maternal complications, low birthweight (<2500 g), APGAR score and preterm delivery (<37 weeks' gestational age). RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed that refugee mothers had a significant increase in the rate of Caesarean section and higher rate of anaemia, a lower neonates' weight and APGAR scores when compared to their Jordanian counterparts. DISCUSSION: Results were congruent with findings from other studies in the region and worldwide. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Minimizing inequalities in pregnancy outcomes between Syrian refugees and Jordan women is a healthcare priority. The findings could guide the planning and development of health policies in Jordan that would help to alleviate the situation regarding refugee populations. Action is required by policy makers, specifically targeting public and primary healthcare services, to address the problem of adequately meeting the needs for antenatal care of this vulnerable population.