High-risk antenatal women’s perceptions of dietitian appointments with an aim of reducing the fail to attend rate: a work-based study in the West Moreton Hospital Health Service

High-risk antenatal women’s perceptions of dietitian appointments with an aim of reducing the fail to attend rate: a work-based study in the West Moreton Hospital Health Service

Maternal overweight and obesity, previous bariatric surgery, and being underweight prior to pregnancy are all high-risk pregnancy conditions that increase the likelihood of adverse health issues for both mother and baby. In West Moreton Health, 50% of high-risk antenatal women referred to a dietitian do not engage with the dietetics department. A mixed methods study was undertaken to determine the attributes of women who do not attend appointments and explore the attitudes and perceptions of women towards dietitian appointments and nutrition information. Quantitative findings suggest that distance from clinic had no impact on attendance at appointments, an observation supported by interviewed women. Further quantitative findings were that non-attendance was related to referrals for overweight and obesity, however not related to referral for underweight or bariatric surgery referrals. The qualitative study found that women who had not seen a dietitian previously had little appreciation of what to expect at their appointment and were nervous about attending due to the unknown. Women participating in the research project suggested that midwives should explain the appointment process in greater depth at time of referral to reduce this anxiety. The results from this study can be utilised to adjust service delivery in West Moreton Health, and hopefully improve engagement rates. There are many opportunities for future research, including interviewing women who did not attend appointments to see if their perceptions are the same, confirming whether women need better explanation or understanding of what a dietitian does to improve attendance, and further investigation is warranted into whether dietitian appointments during pregnancy provide the best value of health service resources.

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