Page 132 - Pro-active Management of Women’s Health after Cardiometabolic Complicated Pregnancies

130 | Part 3 Lifestyle intervention
specialized nurses, general practitioners, gynecologists, and midwives. A gynecologist was perceived as sufficiently specialized, but overqualified to apply lifestyle counseling. The general practitioner was perceived as easily accessible, but not sufficiently specialized. Women generally stated that a nurse might be easier to talk to than a physician. Additionally, they would like the counselor to be able to provide information, and both medical and psychological support, when needed. When the counselor cannot provide this support, he or she should preferably be able to transfer the patient to other health care specialists (e.g., a psychologist or a dietician).
Most women said that they would rather receive counseling from the same person so that they can build a relationship on mutual trust. Others indicated they would not mind if they would receive counseling from multiple counselors, because they might profit from the variance in both the level and the nature of knowledge between counselors. For most women, the gender of the counselor was irrelevant.
Women generally preferred the location of the counseling to be close to home. “As a young mother, you’re not very flexible in making appointments.” Suggested locations for the counseling included: the general practitioner’s premises, the infant welfare center, and a nearby hospital. Additionally, women suggested that lifestyle counseling might also be administered at home, or that counseling might take place by telephone. Others suggested that counseling could take place at a location where they could meet fellow sufferers.
Finally, they said that it would be practical to combine a counseling visit with one of the standard postpartum visits to a healthcare specialist (e.g., gynecologist or pediatrician) that they have already planned. This was particularly the case for women who had experienced a severe complication, since they generally had more postpartum hospital visits. However, some