The women's cardiovascular disease risk perception after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: A qualitative meta-synthesis

Background

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, but studies suggest that women with previous hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are not aware of this. Little is known about how these women perceive the condition and the associated long-term risks.

Objectives

This study aims to examine and synthesize qualitative evidence on the perceptions and awareness of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy following perceived cardiovascular disease risk.

Methods

Computer searches of Pub Med, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CNKI, Wanfang database, Vip and SinoMed for all qualitative studies that met the inclusion criteria. The time frame for the search was from the establishment of the database to April 2024. Literature quality was assessed using the Australian Joanna Briggs Institute Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care Qualitative Research quality assessment criteria, and results were summarised and integrated using a pooled integration approach.

Results

Eleven studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and quality assessment were included in the meta synthesis. Three themes were identified during the analysis: (1)Factors affecting perceived cardiovascular risk in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy; (2)Women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy use different strategies to cope with cardiovascular risk; (3)Needs and expectations for coping with cardiovascular disease risk.

Conclusions

Both women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and healthcare providers lack knowledge of the link between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and cardiovascular risk. Healthcare professionals should establish a multidimensional support model, pay timely attention to postpartum women's psycho-emotional and risk awareness, and give individualised health education to promote health behaviour change. At the same time, professionals should be given standardised training and personalised follow-up services to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease in the future.