Concern over internet pregnancy advice

Mums to be are increasingly turning to the internet to bone up on their condition, it was revealed today.

But pregnant women need to be aware the information they were getting might not be reputable and midwives need better training to be able to handle their questions, the Royal College of Nursing International Research Conference was told.

According to new research from the North, midwives are being asked increasingly to assess evidence pregnant women get from the internet.

The research revealed many midwives do not have the necessary skills to deal with queries and said training on internet-related issues should form part of midwifery education.

Preliminary results from the pilot study suggested the internet appeared to affect decisions pregnant women were taking about their care, and further research was need to enable health professionals to evaluate the evidence available to expectant mums on the internet.

The paper was presented to the four-day conference at York by Briege Lagan, a PhD student and Clinical Midwife Specialist at the University of Ulster.

She said: “Increasingly, patients want more control over decisions affecting their health and expect instant access to information to support their decision.

“There is a proliferation of health sites on the internet. However, anyone can host a website and display health information.

“Unfortunately, many patients are unaware of this and believe all information to be reputable.”

Ms Lagan said it was vitally important that midwives and healthcare providers were aware of the positive and negative aspects of the health information available on the web.

Ms Lagan added: “Much is unknown about the impact of the internet on the health and well-being of pregnant women.

“This research shows that midwives must be prepared not only to discuss important treatment issues, but also to know what information is available to women on the internet so they can use this knowledge to provide pregnant woman with appropriate advice.”