Status of Prenatal Care Received by Disabled Women

BACKGROUND: Women with disabilities are less likely to receive adequate prenatal care as compared to women without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of prenatal care received by women with disabilities. STUDY DESIGN: The research sample consisted of 60 women who were members of the Turkish Disabled People's Association and Ankara Disabled Women's Association and who had given birth within the last year. Data were collected electronically through the Women's Introductory Information Form. RESULTS: Many of the women (38.3%) had physical disabilities, and a high proportion of them (63.3%) were congentially disabled. Within the sample, 93.3% received prenatal care, and 48.2% had problems due to their disabilities while receiving care. They most commonly experienced problems (47.6%) related to communication barriers. We found that materials suitable for their disabilities were not used during prenatal education and monitoring (67.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Although disabled women had high rates of receiving prenatal care, they experienced problems due to their disabilities while receiving that care. Health professionals should have the knowledge and skills to provide individualized prenatal care that meets the needs of women with disabilities. Providers should use educational materials that accommodate for disabilities experienced by women in their care.