Mother knows best … except when it comes to a diagnosis of preeclampsia: an exploratory study of the convergence between maternal recall of pregnancy-related outcomes and objective medical data

Abstract

Objective This study details the importance of medical professionals accurately explaining a diagnosis of preeclampsia to their patients. Self-report data were compared to medical record data. We examined reporting and recall of infant data and maternal health during pregnancy. Methods Reliability between maternal self-report and medical record data was explored in 53 women whose infants had recently been discharged from the nearest Level Three Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Data were collected in a neurodevelopmental follow-up clinic. Results Maternal reporting of gestational age and infant birth weight was highly accurate (r = 0.99, p < .0001 and r = 0.95, p < .0001, respectively), even when controlling for indicators of low socioeconomic status; however, maternal reporting of their own medical diagnoses was weak. There was a discrepancy between the medical records and maternal self-report of preeclampsia (k = 0.50). Conclusions for practice Medical professionals should reiterate to women at postpartum appointments whether or not they had preeclampsia.