Evaluating the implementation of the LMUP in antenatal care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative study evaluating the implementation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) during antenatal care to assess pregnancy circumstance
IRAS ID
270375
Contact name
Jennifer Hall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2021/08/64 health research, UCL data protection
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
Aim: To evaluate the introduction of a measure of pregnancy planning during routine antenatal care.
Background:
Unplanned pregnancy is closely linked with poor maternal and neonatal outcomes, which include negative impacts on maternal mental health, low birth weight and prematurity. Despite this, women and birthing people are not routinely asked whether their pregnancy is planned or unplanned. The “London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy” (LMUP) uses six multiple choice questions to assess how planned a pregnancy is. This tool gives better insights into family planning needs, but also highlights pregnancies that may be at higher risk for poor outcomes. However, it has rarely been used in antenatal care so there is no evidence on how acceptable it is to healthcare professionals and their patients, or how to use the LMUP to support women with unplanned pregnancies to reduce their risk of poorer outcomes.Design and methods used: The LMUP has been included as part of the initial booking appointment for all women accessing maternity care at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH). This will assess the pregnancy intentions of a large and diverse sample. We will invite some women to participate in individual structured interviews to explore women’s views on being asked the LMUP questions.
The health care professionals responsible for booking appointments at UCLH will be trained to use the tool appropriately and sensitively. Following this, they will be invited to participate in focus groups discussions. The focus groups will aim to identify whether the LMUP is an acceptable tool, whether there are any issues, and how these could be addressed to inform future training and implementation. We will discuss what is currently done to support those with an unplanned pregnancy, what services are available and how the LMUP could be used to identify women in need of specific support.
The research midwife will also reflect on her own experiences using the LMUP tool.
We will use the results of this work to inform future national implementation of the LMUP in antenatal care and to design services to meet the needs of women and their families with an unplanned pregnancy. The aim of these services will be to prevent poor perinatal outcomes.
The research is funded by the National Institute for Health Research.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SW/0174
Date of REC Opinion
5 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion