Implementation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy in routine antenatal care: A mixed-methods evaluation in three London NHS Trusts.

Abstract

Introduction: Unplanned pregnancies are associated with increased risks. Despite this, they are currently not routinely detected during antenatal care. This study evaluates the implementation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy (LMUP) - a validated measure of pregnancy planning - into antenatal care at University College London Hospital, Homerton Hospital, and St Thomas' Hospital, England, 2019-2023.

Methods: We conducted a mixed methods evaluation of the pilot. Uptake and acceptability were measured using anonymized data with non-completion of the LMUP as a proxy measure of acceptability overall. We conducted focus groups with midwives, and one-to-one interviews with women, to explore their thoughts of asking, or being asked the LMUP, which we analyzed with a Framework Analysis.

Results: Asking the LMUP at antenatal appointments is feasible and acceptable to women and midwives, and the LMUP performed as expected. Advantages of asking the LMUP, highlighted by participants, include providing additional support and personalizing care. Midwives' concerns about judgment were unsubstantiated; women with unplanned pregnancies valued such discussions.

Conclusions: These findings support the implementation of the LMUP in routine antenatal care and show how it can provide valuable insights into the circumstances of women's pregnancies. This can be used to help midwives personalize care, and potentially reduce adverse outcomes and subsequent unplanned pregnancy. Integration of the LMUP into the Maternity Services Data Set will establish national data collection of a validated measure of unplanned pregnancy and enable analysis of the prevalence, factors, and implications of unplanned pregnancies across subpopulations and over time to inform implementation.