NHS England » The use of social media to support weight management in pregnancy – NHS England
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Midwives at West Sussex Hospitals NHS Basis Belief led a social media mission to interact with ladies who may have weight administration help throughout their being pregnant. This has led to a big enchancment in engagement, outcomes and total affected person expertise.
NICE (2010) highlights that well being professionals ought to perceive and promote the significance of reaching a wholesome weight earlier than being pregnant. Native schooling initiatives also needs to stress the well being dangers of being overweight, together with throughout being pregnant. The steerage outlines that well being professionals ought to use applicable alternatives to offer ladies with a BMI of 30 or extra with details about the well being advantages of losing a few pounds earlier than changing into pregnant.
The maternity division at West Sussex Hospitals NHS Basis Belief had a Weight Administration in Being pregnant (WMIP) programme in place to help ladies face-to-face throughout their being pregnant with weight administration points. Nonetheless, the Belief recognized that there have been many ladies who weren’t totally engaged and subsequently not accessing vital data and help throughout their maternity care and this was typically a logistics problem. This included capability to attend as a consequence of time, work or household commitments and journey. Some ladies reported detrimental experiences throughout their appointments when discussing weight in being pregnant.
The midwives recognized unwarranted variation when investigating native efficiency knowledge. There was a discrepancy between the numbers of ladies who would possibly profit from the WMIP (and different specialist companies) and people attending the nose to nose periods, exhibiting {that a} vital variety of ladies weren’t accessing out there companies. The maternity leads recognized {that a} totally different strategy to offering data and help was wanted, tailoring the supply to help all ladies to entry help appropriately.
Nursing and Midwifery Council guidance outlines how nurses and midwives can use social media and social networking websites responsibly and ‘Going Digital – developing resources for women and families in maternity care’ shares examples of digital functions and on-line data that has been developed for girls and households throughout being pregnant.
Following a suggestion from one of many ladies attending the face-to-face teams, midwives recognized that the usage of a social media platform might enhance engagement charges, supporting ladies to entry data in their very own time, overcoming a number of the highlighted boundaries to entry.
Midwives, in collaboration with the Belief’s communications and engagement staff, developed a social media web page alongside ladies who attended the WMIP programme. It was agreed this was an accessible format which many ladies might already be accustomed to and it’s free to make use of. To make sure follow adhered to security and anticipated parameters, guidance was consulted.
A 3-month pilot was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility and impression of the social media web page throughout which group permissions and membership had been monitored and guidelines and greatest follow steerage collaboratively developed. Following the pilot, participation was widened to all ladies who would possibly profit from the WMIP programme and different group pages had been developed to help ladies and their households.
Higher outcomes – Because the social media group was arrange, there was a big enchancment in attendance and ranges of engagement with the WMIP programme. Social media group membership numbers are monitored and qualitative suggestions on satisfaction captured. Ladies at the moment are extra conscious of what the WMIP programme is about, have extra confidence and community with one another. General, ladies really feel extra optimistic about their being pregnant, the service acquired and the additional pathway out there for his or her being pregnant care.
Higher expertise – Ladies have responded extraordinarily nicely to the brand new strategy, particularly the peer help component offered by way of the web site. Suggestions has demonstrated the good thing about utilizing social media to enhance their expertise of maternity care and early parenthood. This mission has additionally led to enhanced employees engagement and improved cross-site working.
Higher use of assets – The usage of social media has raised consciousness amongst ladies of the group and out there assets within the WMIP programme. It’s anticipated that this might cut back the necessity for help from different companies as their being pregnant develops. Whereas the work to utilise social media is based on help and data for girls, the staff have embraced this methodology of communication and are utilizing related strategies to speak with employees who work within the unit.
Midwives from West Sussex Hospitals NHS Basis Belief speak about how they’ve made optimistic modifications to follow, main an modern social media mission to interact with pregnant ladies.
Utilizing social media inside this setting has been very optimistic and has given the midwives a lot of confidence – they’ve been in a position to share data with ladies extra simply and efficient communication between the staff has additionally improved.
Dr Cate Bell
Head of Analysis
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Basis Belief
Ca*******@ws**.uk
