Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UK
Objectives Stillbirth is an important and yet relatively unacknowledged public health concern in many parts of the world. Public awareness of stillbirth and its potentially modifiable risk factors is a prerequisite to planning prevention measures. Cultural and regional differences may play an import...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2019-10-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590161319300547 |
| _version_ | 1819163787230445568 |
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| author | Suruchi Mohan Thomas Gray Weiguang Li Mohamed Alloub Andrew Farkas Stephen Lindow Tom Farrell |
| author_facet | Suruchi Mohan Thomas Gray Weiguang Li Mohamed Alloub Andrew Farkas Stephen Lindow Tom Farrell |
| author_sort | Suruchi Mohan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Stillbirth is an important and yet relatively unacknowledged public health concern in many parts of the world. Public awareness of stillbirth and its potentially modifiable risk factors is a prerequisite to planning prevention measures. Cultural and regional differences may play an important role in awareness and attitudes to stillbirth prevention. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the awareness of stillbirth among hospital staff in Qatar and the UK, representing two culturally different regions.Study design An online population survey for anonymous completion was sent to the hospital email accounts of all grades of staff (clinical and non-clinical) at two hospitals in Qatar and one tertiary hospital Trust in the UK. The survey was used to gather information on the participants’ demographic background, the experience of stillbirth, knowledge of stillbirth, awareness of information and support sources, as well as attitude towards investigation and litigation. Data were analysed using descriptive and comparative statistics (Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test).Results 1002 respondents completed the survey, including 349 in the Qatar group and 653 in the UK group. There were significant differences in group demographics in terms of language, religion, gender, nationality and experience of stillbirth. The groups also differed significantly in the knowledge of stillbirth, its incidence and risk factors. The two groups took different views on apportioning blame on healthcare services in cases of stillbirth. The Qatar group showed significantly less awareness of available support organisations and relied significantly more on online sources of information for stillbirths (p < 0.001).Conclusions This comparative study demonstrated significant differences between the two culturally distinct regions in the awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards stillbirths. The complex cultural and other factors that may be contributory should be further studied. The results highlight the need for increasing public awareness around stillbirth as part of effective prevention strategies. Keywords: Stillbirth, Questionnaires and surveys |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:49:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b07d48109c4b45b69f39eb708d60206b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2590-1613 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:49:41Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X |
| spelling | doaj.art-b07d48109c4b45b69f39eb708d60206b2022-12-21T18:18:13ZengElsevierEuropean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X2590-16132019-10-014Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UKSuruchi Mohan0Thomas Gray1Weiguang Li2Mohamed Alloub3Andrew Farkas4Stephen Lindow5Tom Farrell6Sidra Medicine, Sidra Outpatient Building, Al Luqta Street, Education City North Campus, Qatar Foundation, PO BOX 26999, Doha, Qatar; Corresponding author.Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Jessop Wing, Tree Root Walk, Sheffield, S10 2SF, UKYork Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Wigginton Road, York, YO31 8HE, UKAl Wakra Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, QatarSheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Jessop Wing, Tree Root Walk, Sheffield, S10 2SF, UKSidra Medicine, Sidra Outpatient Building, Al Luqta Street, Education City North Campus, Qatar Foundation, PO BOX 26999, Doha, QatarSidra Medicine, Sidra Outpatient Building, Al Luqta Street, Education City North Campus, Qatar Foundation, PO BOX 26999, Doha, QatarObjectives Stillbirth is an important and yet relatively unacknowledged public health concern in many parts of the world. Public awareness of stillbirth and its potentially modifiable risk factors is a prerequisite to planning prevention measures. Cultural and regional differences may play an important role in awareness and attitudes to stillbirth prevention. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the awareness of stillbirth among hospital staff in Qatar and the UK, representing two culturally different regions.Study design An online population survey for anonymous completion was sent to the hospital email accounts of all grades of staff (clinical and non-clinical) at two hospitals in Qatar and one tertiary hospital Trust in the UK. The survey was used to gather information on the participants’ demographic background, the experience of stillbirth, knowledge of stillbirth, awareness of information and support sources, as well as attitude towards investigation and litigation. Data were analysed using descriptive and comparative statistics (Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test).Results 1002 respondents completed the survey, including 349 in the Qatar group and 653 in the UK group. There were significant differences in group demographics in terms of language, religion, gender, nationality and experience of stillbirth. The groups also differed significantly in the knowledge of stillbirth, its incidence and risk factors. The two groups took different views on apportioning blame on healthcare services in cases of stillbirth. The Qatar group showed significantly less awareness of available support organisations and relied significantly more on online sources of information for stillbirths (p < 0.001).Conclusions This comparative study demonstrated significant differences between the two culturally distinct regions in the awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards stillbirths. The complex cultural and other factors that may be contributory should be further studied. The results highlight the need for increasing public awareness around stillbirth as part of effective prevention strategies. Keywords: Stillbirth, Questionnaires and surveyshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590161319300547 |
| spellingShingle | Suruchi Mohan Thomas Gray Weiguang Li Mohamed Alloub Andrew Farkas Stephen Lindow Tom Farrell Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UK European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology: X |
| title | Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UK |
| title_full | Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UK |
| title_fullStr | Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UK |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UK |
| title_short | Stillbirth: Perceptions among hospital staff in the Middle East and the UK |
| title_sort | stillbirth perceptions among hospital staff in the middle east and the uk |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590161319300547 |
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