Effect of An Educational Intervention on Pregnant Women’s Knowledge and Self-Care Practices Regarding Urinary Tract Infection

Abstract

Contents: The most prevalent type of infection during pregnancy is urinary tract infections (UTIs). It affects up to ten percent of pregnant women and may cause serious adverse pregnancy outcomes for both mother and fetus.

Aim:  The research aimed to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on pregnant women’s knowledge and self-care practices regarding urinary tract infection. 

Methods: A quasi-experimental (pre/post-test) design was adopted to fulfill this study's aim. The study was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynaecological outpatient clinic in Benha university hospital on a purposive sample of 68 pregnant women among those attending the setting mentioned above. Two key instruments were used to collect data: A structured interviewing questionnaire, self-care practices checklist.

Results: revealed a highly statistically significant difference in pregnant women's knowledge and self-care practices related to urinary tract infection at post-intervention compared to their pre-intervention phase (p-values < 0.001). A highly significant positive correlation was illustrated between studied women's total knowledge and total practice scores at pre (p=0.04) and post-intervention (p=0.000) phases.

Conclusion: The study concluded that the research hypothesis is supported, and pregnant women exhibited better knowledge and self-care practices regarding (UTI) during pregnancy after implementing an educational intervention than before. The study recommended that knowledge and self-care concepts regarding UTI through antenatal screening programs in early pregnancy should be empowered as an essential part of all women's health care levels and strategies.