Factors that Influence Pregnant Women with Preterm Labor's Decision Making for Hospital Admission

Abstract

This descriptive study was conducted to explore factors that influenced pregnant women with preterm labor’s decision making for the hospital admission.  The participants were 220 pregnant women with clinical signs of preterm labor who admitted at Trang Hospital.  Data collection instruments were  factors associated with preterm labor condition questionnaire and pregnant women with preterm labor’s decision making for hospital admission questionnaire which have shown internal consistency reliability equal to 0.675 and 0.83.  Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics.  Results are the overall mean score of perceptions regarding preterm labor among respondents was 3.666 (S.D.= 0.339).  To consider each component of perceptions regarding preterm labor, respondents reported the highest mean score on the perception of violence (=3.843, S.D.= 0.621) and the perception of obstacles (=3.804, S.D.= 0.835), respectively.  While the respondents reported the lowest mean score on the perception of disease (= 3.364, S.D.= 0.419). To consider in terms of the levels of perceptions score, 48.2 percent of respondents reported high levels of perceptions regarding preterm labor severity, 80.5 percent of respondents reported moderate levels of perceptions regarding preterm labor, 51.8 percent of respondents reported moderate levels of perceived benefits regarding preterm labor prevention, and 60.9 percent of respondents reported low levels of perceived barriers regarding preterm labor prevention. Perceived preterm labor pain had a significant relationship with decision making for hospital admission among pregnant women with preterm labor (r = 0.214, p < 0.01).  Results indicated positive correlations between decision making for hospital admission among pregnant women with preterm labor and perceived benefits regarding preterm labor prevention (r = 0.211, p < 0.001), perceptions regarding preterm labor severity (r = 0.238, p < 0.001), and perceived barriers regarding preterm labor prevention (r = 0.195,  p < 0.01).