Pregnant and puerperal women's knowledge and awareness of venous thromboembolism: a medical of things survey technique

Abstract

Pregnant women are at a higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) during pregnancy and postpartum. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection increases the risk of VTE. This study aimed to assess pregnant and puerperal women’s knowledge and awareness of VTE. The study included 403 females at the maternity hospital in the Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia. All participants were chosen by convenience sampling technique and interviewed about their bio-demographic, clinical, and gynecological data, personal and/or family history of VTE, history of thromboprophylaxis, and knowledge about deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The results of the study revealed that 284 (70.5%) of the participants had poor knowledge about DVT, and only 119 (29.5%) had a good level of knowledge, with a mean score of 8.7 out of 20. Although VTE prevalence has increased due to COVID-19 and its complications, the study results showed a lack of knowledge and poor awareness of VTE among 70.5% of the study participants. The education of women regarding VTE should be improved, especially among pregnant females. More patient education and public education campaigns are needed to increase public awareness of VTE, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.