Consumer Evaluation of Antenatal Physiotherapy Education: How Useful Was It Really?

Antenatal education programs that help women better prepare themselves for labor are commonly offered at maternity hospitals. Physiotherapy-led sessions are often incorporated into these programs and are geared toward providing practical advice to equip women with the skills to better cope with labor using nonpharmacological methods and to help promote physical recovery postnatally. A two-phase consumer satisfaction evaluation project was completed: Phase 1 determined participants' satisfaction immediately after session attendance; Phase 2 determined participants' satisfaction and practical usefulness of the session when considered retrospectively following childbirth. The Phase 1 consumer survey indicated strong consumer support and satisfaction-participants could clearly see the potential usefulness of the skills they had learnt and strongly believed they were going to apply these skills in labor. When considered in retrospect (Phase 2), the overall value of the antenatal Physiotherapy session appears to be enhanced with a greater percentage of respondents strongly agreeing/agreeing that they felt better prepared approaching labor after session attendance in Phase 2 than Phase 1 (96.9% vs 90.7%). Women reported feeling empowered by the new skills but, more importantly, felt they were able to apply this information practically to help them better cope and recover.