Knowledge about Neonatal Screening among Postpartum Women and Complexity Level of Birthing Facilities

• Main Authors: Mariana F. Guimarães, Fernanda A. Rabelo, Israel Figueiredo Jr.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Neonatal Screening
• Subjects: confirmatory factor analysis; neonatal screening; postpartum period; knowledge
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2409-515X/5/1/8

Background: To ascertain the degree of knowledge of postpartum women about important aspects related to the neonatal screening process and whether differences of opinion exist between those who deliver in low-complexity versus high-complexity health facilities (low-risk versus high-risk pregnancies, respectively). Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. The sample consisted of postpartum women recruited from 2013 to 2015 at public maternity hospitals in the city of Niter&#243;i, Brazil. Participants were divided into two groups and completed a questionnaire consisting of Likert-scored items. Continuous variables were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney test, and categorical variables, with Fisher&#8217;s test. A confirmatory factor analysis of participants&#8217; answers was performed. Results: Of 188 women enrolled, 54 (28.7%) had incomplete elementary education; 119 (62.2%) had attended more than six antenatal care visits. The mean age was 25.57 years. Nearly all women (<i>n</i> = 179, 95.2%) were roomed-in with their infants. Knowledge of neonatal screening was very similar in the high-complexity and low-complexity groups. Divergences were limited to items regarding the risks of neonatal screening. Conclusions: The degree of knowledge among postpartum women was similar among high- and low-complexity facilities. Those who attended high-complexity facilities had longer hospital stays and greater adherence to ethical issues regarding neonatal screening.