The impact of awareness program on the knowledge and practice of women about pelvic organ prolapse

Background: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is one of the most common gynecological health problems among women which affect on maternal morbidity and mortality. Prolapse may seriously influence the physical, psychological and social wellbeing of woman. Recently the health care giver focuses on prevention of prolapse rather than cure. The aim of this study was evaluating and improving the knowledge and practice of women, about POP. Subjects and Methods: A convenient sample of 110 women at reproductive age attending the obstetric clinic of Beni-Suef University hospital. The knowledge of women about POP was first assessed by using interview questionnaire and pretest. The awareness program included 2 sessions. They focused on improving the awareness of the women about the POP. Later, all women were assessed again over their knowledge and practice about the eight aspects using the same posttest. Results: Baseline assessment showed that only (4.5%) women had fair knowledge about POP. Educated women, working women, and those residing urban areas had better knowledge (p<0.05). After the awareness program, the knowledge of the women improved to (96.4%) with good knowledge (p<0.001). Conclusion: The educational program had a positive impact on the knowledge and practice of women about POP. Recommendation: Regulation development of medical services especially at rural areas for early detection and diagnosis of pelvic organ prolapse. Key Words: POP- Awareness- Knowledge- Practice DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/61-11 Publication date: April 30th 201