Women's perception of risk following reduced fetal movements
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Women's perception of risk following reduced fetal movements.
IRAS ID
229815
Contact name
Melissa Whitworth
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 28 days
Research summary
Maternal perception of fetal movements has been used for many years as a method to evaluate fetal wellbeing.
Pregnancies in which women consistently report regular movements have very low morbidity and mortality. Conversely, maternal perception of reduced fetal movements(RFM)is associated with adverse pregnancy outcome including fetal growth restriction, fetal compromise and stillbirth. In the UK about one baby in every 240 (who reaches 24 weeks’ gestation or more) is stillborn. As many as 50% of women perceive a reduction in fetal movements, several days before reporting to clinicians. Consequently, RFM is used as a sign of fetal compromise in contemporary guidelines
We completed a qualitative study exploring womens' and clinicians' experiences of RFM. The findings found that women receive conflicting advice from their clinicians about RFM. Critically, there was evidence that conflicting advice led directly to delayed reporting/accessing of healthcare after experiencing RFM.
Risk perception is a key factor that strongly influences women's decision making regarding their pregnancy, however little research exists in this area. Quantitative research in risk perception of women in high risk pregnancies is inconsistent and consideration to qualitative studies would add depth and clarity to existing knowledge.
Therefore, to more fully understand women's perception of risk following RFM we plan to conduct one to one, semi structured interviews to explore women's experiences and understanding of RFM, and factors that potentially influence their perception of risk when considering to report consecutive episodes of RFM. We plan to interview 4 groups of women with different outcomes to gain a broader understanding. These outcomes are; perinatal death, SCBU admission, discharge home following satisfactory assessment and induction of labour/elective Cesarean section for RFM. The results of this study will help to understand important factors determining when/how women consult health professionals about RFM and how they may respond to different management strategies.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0073
Date of REC Opinion
26 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion