gms | German Medical Science

Background: At the latest since the thalidomide scandal the skepticism and insecurities regarding pharmacotherapy use in pregnancy are high. Because of the potential teratogenic and fetotoxic risks of pharmaceutical substances, pregnant women are uncertain which medication they can take without hesitation. Nonetheless, there are several medical conditions like chronic diseases or pregnancy complaints that make pharmacotherapy indispensable. Therefore, physicians and pharmacist are often faced with the challenge of giving the right advice, especially when it comes to off-label use. Against this background, the planned study evaluates drug-related information-seeking behavior and attitude of pregnant women in Germany.

Materials and Methods: The investigations are made with an anonymous online questionnaire which will be developed and validated using similar instruments from other questionnaire studies and expert feedback. It will be advertised in pharmacies, gynecological practices and centers, midwifery associations and on social media to gain divers participants. They must be 18 years old, understand the German language and be pregnant or have given birth to a child no more than one year ago. Taking any medication is not required. The case number of 377 (95% CI, 5% probability of error) is calculated on the count of 57% pregnant women stating the need for more information regarding pharmacotherapy in pregnancy [1]. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA and correlation analysis will be used to evaluate the answers.

Results: The questionnaire will gather insights in four different categories: information-seeking behavior and information sources, the feeling of uncertainties regarding pharmacotherapy in pregnancy, the advice and support through medical professionals and the attitude of the participants towards medication use in pregnancy. From experiences with pregnant women in pharmaceutical and medical practice, it is expected that pregnant women are insecure, don’t know all information opportunities and demand more validated information and consulting. Furthermore, it is assumed that this study presents connections between these results and sociodemographic or pregnancy related factors.

Conclusion: To improve compliance and break down inhibition thresholds, it is important to know more about the information-seeking behavior and concerns of pregnant women and to connect these findings to potential sociodemographic predictors. Understanding the needs and reasons of those affected and their access ways to more information regarding pharmacotherapy is a requirement for an appropriate medical consultation of women during pregnancy. Therefore, and because there has never been a study conducted like this in Germany, this investigation is a necessary tool to claim for more research and action in this field.