Women's experiences of over-the-counter and prescription medication during pregnancy in the UK: findings from survey free-text responses and narrative interviews

Sanders, Julia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5712-9989, Blaylock, Rebecca, Dean, Caitlin, Petersen, Irene, Trickey, Heather ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3707-456X and Murphy, Clare 2023. Women's experiences of over-the-counter and prescription medication during pregnancy in the UK: findings from survey free-text responses and narrative interviews. BMJ Open 13 , e067987. 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067987

Preview

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (333kB) | Preview

Abstract

Objectives To explore women’s experiences of over-the-counter and prescription medication advice and use during pregnancy. Design A study design consisting of an online survey and nested in-depth interviews with a subsample of participants. We analysed data from survey free-text responses and in-depth interviews using thematic analysis. Quantitative survey data is published elsewhere. Setting The UK. Participants Women were eligible if living in the UK, aged 16–45 years, were pregnant or had been pregnant in the last 5 years regardless of pregnancy outcome. A total of 7090 women completed the survey, and 34 women who collectively had experienced 68 pregnancies were subsequently interviewed. Results Medication prescribing and use during pregnancy was common. The prescribing, dispensing and taking of some advised medications were restricted through women’s or prescribers’ fear of fetal harm. Lack of adherence to national prescribing guidance, conflicting professional opinion and poor communication resulted in maternal anxiety, avoidable morbidity and women negotiating complex and distressing pathways to obtain recommended medications. In contrast, some women felt overmedicated and that pharmacological treatments were used without exploring other options first. Conclusion Increased translation of national guidance into practice and greater personalisation of antenatal care are needed to improve the safety, efficacy and personalisation of prescribing in pregnancy.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Publisher:	BMJ Publishing Group
ISSN:	2044-6055
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 March 2023
Date of Acceptance:	23 January 2023
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 16:40
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/157489

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item