October 20, 2020

New Article by Dr. Emma Lawrence

New research funded by the Women’s Health Innovation Fund highlights the importance of provider-based counseling in improving patient knowledge about preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia/eclampsia is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet patients’ perspectives about their diagnosis are not well understood. In their new studyDr. Emma Lawrence and coauthors examine patient knowledge among women with preeclampsia/eclampsia in a large urban hospital in Ghana. Their research, funded by the Women's Health Innovation Fund, demonstrates that average knowledge about preeclampsia is low, and increased counseling by healthcare providers is associated with higher knowledge scores. This has important implications for patients, who with improved knowledge, may better be able to identify warning symptoms of new or worsening disease, improve healthcare-seeking behavior, and make informed healthcare decisions.