title: Patient utilization of information sources about safety of medications during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine information sources about the safety of medications during pregnancy among predominantly Latina pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutively chosen pregnant women (n = 404) attending the University of New Mexico clinics were offered participation and interviewed by a bilingual interviewer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patient-initiated questions about the safety of medications in pregnancy were addressed most frequently to prenatal care providers (62.1%) and family members (25.2%). The Internet, books and clinic pamphlets/brochures were the most frequent self-identified sources of information. Among the 181 women with medical conditions (44.8%), education, marital status and parity were important predictors of information-seeking behavior. Specifically, women with higher education were 3.0 times (95% CI 1.2-7.5) more likely to seek advice than women with less than a high school education. Single (OR = 0.3; 95% CI 0.1-0.7) and multiparous (OR = 0.4; 95% CI 0.1-0.9) women were less likely to seek advice than married and nulliparous patients, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prenatal care providers need to more actively engage pregnant women in a decision-making process and discuss risks and benefits of medication management during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. lbakhireva@salud.unm.edu
authors.forename: Ludmila N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Bakhireva
authors.forename: Bonnie N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dalen
authors.forename: Sharon T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Phelan
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Rayburn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009516:New Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000517:prevention & control; D012648:Self Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult