Poster Presentation Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand ASM 2026

Addressing education gaps amongst healthcare providers regarding long-term health risks after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.   (#113)

Jeremy Tay 1 2 , Jennifer Green 1 2 3 , Heike Roth 2 3 , Amanda Henry 1 2
  1. School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  2. The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW Medicine & Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  3. Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect 5-10% of pregnant women and are associated with long-term maternal health consequences. However, post-HDP-health knowledge gaps among healthcare providers (HCPs) and poor communication across care transition contribute to inadequate postpartum care. This study aimed to evaluate a co-designed post-HDP education and follow-up services package (“the package”), including assessing changes in HCP knowledge, confidence and perceptions of care delivery.

Methods

Antenatal shared-care GP practices and maternity care teams from three Sydney tertiary hospitals participated in the package. Pre-, mid- and post-implementation surveys assessed GP knowledge, practices, and perceptions of the package. Google Analytics data captured educational website usage and were analysed descriptively. Post-HDP health-risk knowledge scores were compared over time using repeated-measures ANOVA.

Results

Of 16 consented participants, 13 completed pre-, mid- and post-implementation surveys. Mean post-HDP health-risk knowledge improved from 32.5±3.5 out of 40 pre-implementation, to 33.7±4.0 post-implementation, although was not statistically significant (p=0.25). GPs averaged 3 minutes and 11 seconds on the website: most viewed topics were cardiovascular health in women, resources for post-HDP care, and HDP definitions. Perceived barriers included not enough evidence-based management specific to HDP, practitioner-related factors such as time per consult, and patient factors including reluctance to change and forgetting of advice due to busy postnatal lives.

Conclusion

The post-HDP education package was feasible and practical. Knowledge improvement was modest, likely as baseline knowledge was high. Dedicated website usage was limited. HCP identified several barriers to post-HDP care needing to be addressed for scale-up of the package.

 

  1. Davis, G. K., Henry, A., Arnott, C. & Brown, M. A. The long‐term cardiovascular impact of hypertension in pregnancy – A missed opportunity. Aust. N. Z. J. Obstet. Gynaecol. 61, 474–477 (2021).
  2. Wu, R. et al. Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease-Related Morbidity and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cardiology 145, 633–647 (2020).
  3. Sheiner, E. et al. FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) Postpregnancy Initiative: Long‐term Maternal Implications of Pregnancy Complications—Follow‐up Considerations. Obstet. Gynecol. Int. J. 147, 1–31 (2019).
  4. Lowe, S. A. et al. The SOMANZ Guidelines for the Management of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy 2014. Aust. N. Z. J. Obstet. Gynaecol. 55, 11–16 (2015).
  5. Green, J. E. et al. Exploring Australian knowledge and practice for maternal postnatal transition of care between hospital and primary care: A scoping review. Women Birth 38, 101852 (2025).
  6. Roth, H. et al. Assessing knowledge of healthcare providers concerning cardiovascular risk after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: an Australian national survey. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 20, 717 (2020).