title: Antenatal education as perceived by health professionals.
abstract: This article aims to identify the learning needs of expectant and new parents for antenatal education as perceived by health professionals. In Australia, antenatal education programs are predominantly designed by health professionals, and recent research has challenged the efficacy of this approach. The data collected from 73 health professionals, reported here, demonstrates that their perceptions of the concerns and interests of expectant and new parents were divided into three interrelated categories: "need to know...what's happening," "they won't listen," and "balanced information." The health professional ideas for improving antenatal education were limited and identified a reluctance to change practice.
authors.affiliation: JANE SVENSSON is the Health Education Coordinator at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Australia. LESLEY BARCLAY is a professor in Health Services Development at Charles Darwin University in Darwin, Australia. MARGARET COOKE is an honorary fellow and a nursing faculty member in the Midwifery and Health Department at the University of Technology-Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barclay
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cooke