Holistic assessment of women with hyperemesis gravidarum: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Hyperemesis gravidarum or severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy affects women's physical, social and psychological wellbeing and often requires frequent hospital admissions. Current standard care may be too medically focussed to meet all of women's complex needs. AIM: The aim of this study is to test where using a validated questionnaire, the Hyperemesis Impact of Symptoms tool, delivered by a nurse to assess the overall effect of hyperemesis on an individual woman's life and to provide advice tailored to her specific needs, will help her cope better with her symptoms and reduce admissions to hospital. DESIGN: This study was a two arm randomised controlled trial in which women with hyperemesis from four hospitals were randomly allocated to one of two groups: (1) usual care and (2) usual care plus assessment with the Hyperemesis Impact of Symptoms questionnaire and a care plan tailored to their responses. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Recruitment was from women who were admitted with hyperemesis gravidarum; diabetic women or those over 14 weeks gestation were excluded. Those who consented completed questionnaires to assess their quality of life and the severity of symptoms at baseline and at three time points over the following 6 weeks. RESULTS: Women's average social functioning, Hyperemesis Impact of Symptom scores and average number of admissions were not significantly different between either group. The average number of days in hospital for the questionnaire and tailored plan group was significantly lower, 4.97, compared with 6.14 in the usual care group. Using the questionnaire to plan individualised care was not associated with significant reduction in health care costs. CONCLUSION: Using the Hyperemesis Impact of Symptoms questionnaire to tailor a care plan to address women's individual needs was not associated with any significant improvements in the quality of life. The cost effectiveness analysis did not indicate that the questionnaire is cost saving. The Hyperemesis Impact of Symptoms questionnaire is a practical tool for nurses and midwives to assess the overall impact of hyperemesis gravidarum on the individual and could be useful for assessing symptoms and evaluating physical, social and psychological changes following treatment in either clinical or research settings.

Incidence of pregnancy-related discomforts and management approaches to relieve them among pregnant women.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of pregnancy-related physical symptoms in healthy pregnant women and their management strategies. BACKGROUND: In normal progression of pregnancy, many symptoms were experienced. Pregnancy-related physical symptoms may have a negative effect on pregnant women's quality of life. However, pregnant women avoid taking medications from the fear that the medication they use may have a harmful effect on the foetus. Therefore, they practise nonpharmacological methods to help them manage their pregnancy-related physical symptoms. DESIGN: This study used a comparative and descriptive design. METHODS: The study population comprised of pregnant women who were visiting for routine check-up and/or examination in the obstetrics gynaecology outpatient clinics of three hospitals in Erzurum, Turkey. The data were collected via a questionnaire including socio-demographic items and questions to identify the pregnancy-related physical symptoms that they experienced and their management strategies. RESULTS: The top three most reported complaints were nausea-vomiting (87·8%), fatigue (77·9%) and breast pain-tenderness (76·2%) during the first trimester, whereas polyuria (79·9%, 88·4%), fatigue (75·6%, 88·4%) and heart burn (71·3%, 81·8%) during the second and third trimesters. Depending on the symptoms, the pregnant women either did nothing or took correct, incorrect or empirical actions to manage their problems. Data revealed that the major source of knowledge was based on their previous experience and that of close relatives. As their education level increased, the percentage of women taking scientifically proven action to correct the problem increased. CONCLUSIONS: Various physical symptoms were experienced by women in each trimester of pregnancy. The majority of the women did not do anything to alleviate their physical symptoms. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Midwives and nurses should question the strategies used by pregnant women. In this way, the inappropriate and incorrect practices can be determined, and education on the appropriate practices can be provided.

Pregnancy nausea and vomiting--the role of the midwife.

Seventy five-80 per cent of pregnant women get some degree of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) and it becomes severe in about 30 per cent of women with symptoms. Calling it 'morning sickness' is both inaccurate and damaging as it can be seen to trivialise the condition. Severe NVP can cause depression, feelings of inadequacy, loss of time at work, admission to hospital and termination of pregnancy. It is important for midwives to treat women with NVP with understanding and empathy, and for midwives to be able to assess women with NVP and refer for admission those developing hyperemesis gravidarm.

Parenteral nutrition in the malnourished: dialysis, cancer, obese, and hyperemesis gravidarum patients.

Malnutrition is a complication of many disease processes and can have deleterious effects on patient care outcomes. Providing adequate nutritional support requires a plan that is tailored to the individual needs of the patient and occasionally requires the use of parenteral nutrition. The varied nutritional needs of malnourished dialysis, cancer, obese, and hyperemesis gravidarum patients will be discussed. The infusion nurse specialist is a vital member of the nutrition support team in the care and recovery of the malnourished patient who requires parenteral nutrition.

Blood tests for investigating maternal wellbeing. 4. When nausea and vomiting in pregnancy becomes pathological: hyperemesis gravidarum.

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is commonplace, with many midwives frequently counselling women in their care. But how do midwives know when NVP becomes pathological? Although hyperemesis gravidarum (HEG) is less common, midwives must be able to recognise and differentiate between these two conditions, especially as HEG has the potential to have a detrimental effect on maternal and fetal wellbeing. The physiological impact of HEG is well documented but what often goes unacknowledged is the psychological, social, occupational and familial impact it also has on a woman's life. Knowledge about the aetiology of HEG and treatment options available is essential but a timely initial diagnosis is paramount. For this to occur the midwife must be skilled in history taking, clinical examination and utilisation of serum blood tests--specifically electrolytes and urea. An understanding of how electrolyte levels can cause pathology is vital if the midwife wishes to interpret blood tests for women with this condition.

A case study approach to Hyperemesis Gravidarum: home care implications.

Clients with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) have nausea and/or vomiting that prevents adequate intake of food and fluids. A client could have weight loss, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic deficiencies, difficulty with daily activities, psychosocial stress and depression. Managing a client at home with HG is very complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Experience of Taiwanese women living with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Two common symptoms of pregnancy are nausea and vomiting, which, for some women, cause great discomfort and profoundly impact daily life. A descriptive phenomenological method was used to understand how Taiwanese women deal with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. A purposive sample of 10 expectant mothers participated in the study. A transcription of each informant's verbal description of her nausea and vomiting experience was made and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology. Four themes emerged from the interview data after inductively analyzing the narrative content concerning nausea and vomiting: 1) understanding nausea and vomiting, 2) finding coping strategies, 3) psychosocial adaptation, and 4) needing support. The results also indicated the importance of social support to pregnant women's health, including instrumental and emotional forms of support. Health professionals, however, were not mentioned in the mothers' narratives as a source of support. The issues of social support, language translation, and western and eastern perspectives on nausea and vomiting and cultural differences in perceptions of their severity are discussed.

Tactile massage and severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy--women's experiences.

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is a condition with an obscure aetiology. The treatment is symptomatic but there is a lack of alternative treatments. Tactile massage is known to give relaxation and increased well-being in connection with different illnesses, but has never been studied on women with severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (SNVP). The aim of this study was to describe hospitalized women's experiences of SNVP and of tactile massage. A phenomenological method was used. Ten hospitalized women with SNVP were included. Each woman was given tactile massage on three separate occasions. After the final massage an open interview was used covering both the experience of severe nausea and vomiting, and of tactile massage. The findings revealed an essential meaning summarizing the experience: to obtain a relieving moment of rest and access to the whole body when nausea rules life. When nausea is experienced as controlling a woman's life, tactile massage is experienced as promoting relaxation and gives her an opportunity to regain access to her body. The findings suggest that tactile massage is a good alternative and complement to traditional treatment of SNVP.

The physiological basis of reflexology and its use as a potential diagnostic tool.

Ill-health changes the anatomy and physiology of affected organs, some of which can be observed visually, elicited through physical examination or confirmed through biomedical analysis. Understanding how anatomical changes contribute to physiological signs and symptoms will help practitioners identify the pathology, appreciate its origin and development and justify prescribed interventions in a way which can be upheld by critical external scrutiny. Reflexology contributes to an holistic approach to care and has recently improved its credibility as a discipline which supports orthodox care. Several research publications have identified possible theories and principles for the mechanism of action of reflexology, but more research to explain its contribution in identifying ill-health and diseases, as well as appropriate treatment modalities, is needed. This paper explores the physiological basis of reflexology, some of the theories for the mechanism of action and its potential as a diagnostic tool.

The impact of hyperemesis gravidarum on maternal role assumption.

OBJECTIVES: To describe what it is like to have hyperemesis gravidarum and explore its impact on the assumption of the maternal role during the perinatal period. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive design. PARTICIPANTS: Eight women who had been diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum were recruited through private prenatal clinics using a snowball technique. Participants were interviewed about their experiences with hyperemesis gravidarum in their homes or other suitable sites selected by them. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transcribed interviews were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. A core category and subcategories were determined. RESULTS: Hyperemesis gravidarum is a disorder that alters the usual response to pregnancy and birth. Participants in this study described it as so debilitating that they had little concern for anything else, including the fetus. After symptoms subsided, the participants reported that they were able to regain control over their lives and made an effort to make up for lost time in becoming attached to the baby. CONCLUSION: Women suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum may not benefit from the usual prenatal education efforts. Additional support following delivery may be needed as the woman attaches to her infant and learns to provide care.

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: an evidence-based review.

This article is a review of the incidence, characteristics, risk factors, proposed causes, outcomes, treatment and nursing management of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Despite the fact that it affects most pregnant women to some degree, it is poorly understood and often poorly treated. Specific suggestions for therapeutic interventions are outlined.

Midwifery co-management of hyperemesis gravidarum.

Hyperemesis gravidarum is an infrequent, yet significant, maternal complication of pregnancy. Beginning with the frequently experienced nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, symptoms can progress to hyperemesis, a debilitating condition affecting maternal and fetal well-being. A basic understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease process and an awareness of the therapeutic interventions that are available will facilitate midwifery planning for either the collaborative care or the potential referral to medical management, both of which may be required with this clinical entity. The diagnosis and initial management of hyperemesis is within the purview of midwifery care. As certain critical features of duration and severity evolve, medical collaboration and ultimate hospitalization may be required. For those few individuals requiring the most intense level of care, the critical support and encouragement afforded by midwifery participation will contribute to timely resolution of this debilitating condition. This article discusses the continuum from differential diagnosis to ultimate care of the woman who has excessive nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Collaboration among health care providers will allow all to exercise their respective skills in achieving the optimum in safe therapy and support for their patients.

The Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching: a new format of the lndex of Nausea and Vomiting.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine the reliability of the Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR), a new format of the Rhodes Index of Nausea and Vomiting Form 2 (INV-2). DESIGN AND SETTING: A parallel form study was conducted at a large, Midwestern teaching hospital and a cancer center. SAMPLE: Convenience sample of 159 subjects: 40 obstetrical, 60 oncological, 59 medical/surgical. METHODS: Two instruments, the INVR and the INV-2, were administered approximately 30-60 minutes apart. One-half of the subjects completed the INVR first, and the other half completed the INV-2 first. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Equivalency measures of reliability correlation coefficients for both instruments. FINDINGS: A high rate of agreement was found in the responses between the two forms. In cases of clear disagreement, the responses to the INVR were more frequently consistent than the responses to the original form. CONCLUSIONS: INVR has tested reliability and is more user friendly for the patient and the healthcare provider. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses have a focal role in managing symptoms. Managing nausea, vomiting, and retching requires excellent assessment skills of the patient's personal symptom experience and knowledge of pharmacology. Efficient, cost-saving assessments require accurate self-report instruments that permit patients to quantify their symptom experiences. The INVR can provide a scientific base from which to prescribe and teach patients and may improve their quality of life. Reliable and valid self-reporting instruments are essential for managing these adverse symptoms.

Clinical advances in the management of severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

The nutritional status of the woman with hyperemesis of pregnancy has been compromised by decreased food intake and increased nutrient loss. Depending on the severity of symptoms, interventions may begin with dietary and life-style alterations, proceed to oral nutritional supplementation or pharmacologic preparations, and continue on to intravenous vitamin-mineral therapy and either enteral tube feedings, parenteral nutrition, or both. These therapies, and the role of the nurse in initiating or supporting them, are described.

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: effects on the quality of women's lives.

More than 70 percent of all pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, and 28 percent report that symptoms cause them to change their usual activities. We investigated the magnitude of problems that nausea and vomiting impose on the lifestyle of pregnant women and their families. Twenty-seven women who were experiencing different degrees of nausea and vomiting were selected from 147 pregnant women and asked to participate in semistructured telephone interviews. All participants reported changes in family, social, or occupational functioning as a result of these symptoms. Nausea and vomiting can impose substantial lifestyle limitations on pregnant women that can have short- and long-term consequences for them and their families. Both the duration and severity of symptoms were greater for many participants than is generally believed. All participants reported that recumbent rest or dietary alterations provided relief. Caregivers should recognize and validate the need for pregnant women to make changes in lifestyle that will enable them to achieve comfort.