Abstract
Recent research on the subject of information-gathering processes among pregnant women has revealed a shift towards online sources. Health professionals' knowledge about sources of information has been shown to improve the understanding and counseling of patients. The objective of this study was to create an overview of all types of sources relevant to information gathering and to put their role and perception into perspective. METHODS: A total of 249 women were included in this study and recruited over a period of one month at the University Hospital of Zurich (USZ). Exclusion criteria included cases of fetal demise and late abortions. The survey on information-gathering processes was divided into three stages: pregnancy, birth, and puerperium. The different sources of information were compared based on women's characteristics. RESULTS: The response rate was 78% (n = 197). The main findings include a significant difference in information gathering based on varying levels of education, with women at the lowest educational level using the Internet the least during pregnancy (p = 0.029). During puerperium, significant differences could be observed in the involvement of the gynecologist. Primipara women as well as women of lower educational levels contacted their gynecologist less in contrast to multipara women (p = 0.006) and women of higher educational levels (p = 0.011). Overall, health professionals were considered to be the most important source of information. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that parity and educational level influence the information-gathering process. As the most important source for information gathering, health professionals must use this advantage to better assist their patients in accessing reliable information.