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Table 4 Key recommendations for addressing identified knowledge and service gaps

From: Understanding the information needs of women with rheumatoid arthritis concerning pregnancy, post-natal care and early parenting: A mixed-methods study

1. Develop an online resource hub that could be administered by arthritis consumer organisations, comprising:

 • up-to-date, evidence-based information on medication safety for conception, pregnancy and breastfeeding

 • practical strategies for managing activities of daily living with a young baby

 • information on specific aids and appliances to facilitate activities of daily living during the post-natal period

 • detailed information on RA for family, friends, employers and colleagues including specific challenges during the pregnancy and post-natal periods and suggestions for supporting women with RA

 • a list of obstetricians with specific experience or special interest in planning and managing pregnancies in women with RA

 • a list of available support services including home help, counselling services, medication safety information services and government financial support options

 • resources for clinicians who may encounter women with RA during the pregnancy and post-natal stages

2. Offer multiple information formats to comprehensively meet the needs of women with RA, for example:

 • online educational materials

 • seminars/workshops incorporating specialist health professionals and women with RA who can share first-hand experiences and demonstrate practical strategies

 • written education materials that can be mailed or emailed

 • telephone counselling services staffed by trained health professionals

3. Facilitate online peer-support/mentoring programs to enable women to share personal experiences

 • consider the development of ‘outreach’ programs involving home visits by health professionals and/or peers during the early parenting period

4. Promote the role of arthritis consumer organisations and available resources to relevant health professionals

5. Develop disease-specific training programs to upskill midwives, maternal and child health nurses and allied health professionals

6. Raise awareness of RA as a form of arthritis which affects younger women of reproductive age and use appropriate images in publications and online materials to reflect this demographic

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BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

ISSN: 1471-2474

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