A Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey to find the impact of mobile application among maternal hypothyroidism patients

Abstract

Abstract

Pregnancy is a period that places great physiological stress on both the mother and the fetus. When pregnancy is compounded by endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism, the potential for maternal and fetal adverse outcomes can be immense. While a lot of attention has been focused on the adverse fetal outcomes consequent to hypothyroidism, attention is also being gradually directed towards the adverse maternal outcomes of this disorder [1]. The prevalence of hypothyroidism during pregnancy is estimated to be 0.3–0.5% for overt hypothyroidism and 2–3% for subclinical hypothyroidism [2]. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy is usually asymptomatic, especially when subclinical. Signs and symptoms which suggest hypothyroidism include inappropriate weight gain, cold intolerance, dry skin and delayed relaxation of deep tendon reflexes. Other features like constipation, fatigue, and somnolence are usually attributed to pregnancy. Untreated hypothyroidism adversely affects the physical and mental well‑being of the mother and baby. Incomplete and unreliable information obtained from the Internet or known acquaintances may hamper disease management [3,4]. A knowledge, attitude, and practices  (KAP) survey is a quantitative tool, based on a standardized questionnaire, that measures these domains in a predefined population. A  KAP survey essentially records an “opinion” and is based on the “declaration” (i.e., statements). We created a informative android mobile application for maternal hypothyroidism patients and implemented this app among maternal hypothyroidism patients and conducted this survey to identify impact of mobile application among pregnant women.