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Biomedical subjects

Andrew Symon

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew Symon.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

A review of mothers' prenatal and postnatal quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary broad descriptions of health and well-being are reflected in an increasing appreciation of quality of life issues; in turn this has led to a growing number of tools to measure this. METHODS: This paper reviews articles cited in MEDLINE, CINAHL and BIDS which have addressed the concept of quality of life in pregnancy and the period following childbirth. RESULTS: It describes five groups of articles: those explicitly assessing quality of life in this area; those using broader health assessments as an indicator of quality of life; those articles equating quality of life with certain pregnancy outcomes in identified groups of patients; those studies which identify the possibility of pregnancy as an outcome measure and infer from this that quality of life has been improved; and those articles which are themselves reviews or commentaries of pregnancy and childbirth and which identify quality of life as a feature. CONCLUSIONS: The term 'quality of life' is used inconsistently in the literature. There are few quality of life tools specifically designed for the maternity care setting. Improved or adversely affected quality of life is frequently inferred from certain clinical conditions.

Female↗
PubMed2003

Postnatal quality of life: a pilot study using the Mother-Generated Index.

BACKGROUND: Although postnatal morbidity has been well documented in recent years, postnatal quality of life has not been addressed. A newly derived subjective measurement of postnatal quality of life (the Mother-Generated Index) combines a quantitative and qualitative evaluation. AIMS: This part of our pilot study aimed to compare the aspects of their lives nominated by women with low and high quality of life (Primary Index) scores, and to examine the respective importance of these areas. METHODS: The Mother-Generated Index was tested using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Short Form 12, and an established maternal and neonatal physical morbidity index as validators. Four health visitors administered these at 6-8 weeks and 8 months postpartum to 103 women by structured face-to-face interviews between June 2000 and March 2001. Data were entered into Epi-Info, and exported to Microsoft Excel and SPSS for analysis. RESULTS: A wide variety of quality of life aspects were reported, including emotional, social and financial concerns. Tiredness was prevalent in all groups, but other physical problems were rare at 8 months. Mothers with low quality of life (Primary Index) scores at 6-8 weeks and 8 months commonly reported having less personal time. Low scoring areas, which health professionals might consider in greatest need of attention, were often not the ones mothers deemed most important. LIMITATIONS: The study involved only 103 participants, and did not assess the degree of support experienced by the mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The Mother-Generated Index helps mothers to identify the areas of their lives which are of most concern to them. This pilot suggests that mothers with high and low quality of life scores have markedly divergent experiences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Postnatal quality of life assessment: validation of the Mother-Generated Index.

Quality of life is multifactorial, but may not be adequately assessed using existing validated health measures. The Mother-Generated Index, a subjective tool to measure postnatal quality of life, was assessed in a study of 102 women in Tayside, Scotland. They specified the most important areas of their lives having had a baby, and scored these. The Index showed good correlation with established measures of physical and psychological wellbeing, and accurately tracked attitudes towards the baby and the partner. Face, criterion and construct validity were all demonstrated. As both content and scoring are subjectively determined, the Index encourages a holistic assessment.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Postnatal quality of life assessment: introducing the mother-generated index.

BACKGROUND: The extent of postnatal morbidity has become increasingly apparent over the last 15 years, but currently no tool is available that measures postnatal quality of life. This pilot study introduces a subjective tool, the Mother-Generated Index, which assesses the woman's quality of life and identifies those aspects that are of most concern to her. METHODS: The Mother-Generated Index was administered by structured interview to 60 participants at 6 to 8 weeks and to 43 participants at 8 months postpartum. Validation was sought through concurrent use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the SF12, and two indexes related to maternal and neonatal physical morbidity. The Mother-Generated Index gives a primary index (quality of life) score, which is reported here, and a secondary index, which identifies the areas considered most important by the mother. RESULTS: The primary index was more sensitive at 8 months. The highest and lowest quartile scores were compared. Statistically significant differences in were found in the mothers' Edinburgh Postnatal Depression scores at 6 to 8 weeks, and in their Edinburgh Postnatal Depression and SF12 mental component scores and their physical morbidity index at 8 months. Although physical problems were only a small feature at 8 months, social and psychological issues were prominent in both groups. Age, parity, and mode of delivery had no significant effect on the women's scores or the areas they identified as most important. CONCLUSION: Quality of life of is a complex and personal area, affected by many different aspects of health and well-being. From this pilot study the primary index appears to be a useful step in assessing a mother's quality of life. It identifies which areas of her life are most important to her, and allows her to indicate where she would like to see improvements.

Adolescent↗