Barriers and facilitators to the provision of preconception care by healthcare providers : a systematic review

Background: Healthcare providers play an important role in providing preconception care to women and men of childbearing age. Yet, the provision of preconception care by healthcare providers remains low. Objectives: To provide an overview of barriers and facilitators at multiple levels that influence the provision of preconception care by healthcare providers. Design: A mixed-methods systematic review. Data sources: PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were systematically searched up to April 27, 2017. The search strategy contained MeSH terms and key words related to preconception care and healthcare providers. Reference lists of included studies and systematic reviews on preconception care were screened. Review methods: Publications were eligible if they reported on barriers and facilitators influencing the provision of preconception care by healthcare providers. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers using a data extraction form. Barriers and facilitators were organized based on the social ecological model. The methodological quality of included studies was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative checklist for qualitative studies, the Quality Assessment Tool for quantitative studies, and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for mixed methods studies. Results: Thirty-one articles were included. Barriers were more reported than facilitators. These were situated at provider level (unfavourable attitude and lack of knowledge of preconception care, not working in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, lack of clarity on the responsibility for providing preconception care) and client level (not contacting a healthcare provider in the preconception stage, negative attitude, and lack of knowledge of preconception care). Limited resources (lack of time, tools, guidelines, and reimbursement) were frequently reported at the organizational and societal level. Conclusions: Healthcare providers reported more barriers than facilitators to provide preconception care, which might explain why the provision of preconception care is low. To overcome the different client, provider, organizational, and societal barriers, it is necessary to develop and implement multilevel interventions

Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding miscarriage : a cross-sectional study among Flemish midwives

Objective: to examine the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of Flemish midwives regarding miscarriage. Design and setting: a cross-sectional KAP study was conducted in 28 hospitals in Flanders (Northern region of Belgium) from September 2015 to January 2016. Participants: a total of 647 out of 1200 midwives (53.9%) working on maternity, labour and gynaecological wards, maternal and neonatal (intensive) care units, antenatal consultations, and reproductive medicine were recruited. Measurements: data were collected using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire. Findings: the mean knowledge score was 6.31 out of 10. Of all participants, 47% recently cared for couples with miscarriage, and the majority (97%) indicated a key role for midwives in the psychosocial support of those couples. Lack of time, incapability and fear of being overwhelmed by their own feelings were identified as main barriers for psychosocial support. Knowledge was more often evaluated as adequate when miscarriage was included in the midwifery education (31% vs. 17.3%, χ2 = 12.965, df = 1, p<0.001). Midwives trained for the topic ‘miscarriage’ more often valued their role in miscarriage care (98.8% vs. 94.1%, χ2 = 11.002, df = 1, p = 0.001). They considered themselves being more capable to provide adequate psychosocial support when feeling sufficiently trained in communicative skills (77.7% vs. 33.8%, χ2 = 96.574, df = 1, p<0.001). The majority (72.4%) indicated a lack of knowledge regarding miscarriage. Almost 89% expressed a need for extra training. Conclusions and implications for practice: midwives in Flanders assist in the care for couples with miscarriage and consider themselves as a key healthcare provider in the psychosocial support. This study highlighted several barriers regarding miscarriage care, e.g. a lack of knowledge and incapability. Adequate training in knowledge and communication skills is important and necessary in order to promote appropriate care to couples experiencing pregnancy loss and increase awareness among all health professionals involved in obstetric care. Further research should investigate to what extent miscarriage is included in the educational midwifery programmes, and how the current healthcare practice regarding miscarriage care is organised

Monitoring Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity Following Amyloid-β Immunotherapy Using Gadolinium-Enhanced MRI in a PDAPP Mouse Model.

BACKGROUND: Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) have been reported with some anti-amyloid-β (Aβ) immunotherapy trials. They are detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and thought to represent transient accumulation of fluid/edema (ARIA-E) or microhemorrhages (ARIA-H). Although the clinical significance and pathophysiology are unknown, it has been proposed that anti-Aβimmunotherapy may affect blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. OBJECTIVE: To examine vascular integrity in aged (12-16 months) PDAPP and wild type mice (WT), we performed a series of longitudinal in vivo MRI studies. METHODS: Mice were treated on a weekly basis using anti-Aβimmunotherapy (3D6) and follow up was done longitudinally from 1-12 weeks after treatment. BBB-integrity was assessed using both visual assessment of T1-weighted scans and repeated T1 mapping in combination with gadolinium (Gd-DOTA). RESULTS: A subset of 3D6 treated PDAPP mice displayed numerous BBB disruptions, whereas WT and saline-treated PDAPP mice showed intact BBB integrity under the conditions tested. In addition, the contrast induced decrease in T1 value was observed in the meningeal and midline area. BBB disruption events occurred early during treatment (between 1 and 5 weeks), were transient, and resolved quickly. Finally, BBB-leakages associated with microhemorrhages were confirmed by Perls'Prussian blue histopathological analysis. CONCLUSION: Our preclinical findings support the hypothesis that 3D6 leads to transient leakage from amyloid-positive vessels. The current study has provided valuable insights on the time course of vascular alterations during immunization treatment and supports further research in relation to the nature of ARIA and the utility of in vivo repeated T1 MRI as a translational tool