Health information delivery to patients at risk of having a small for gestational age/growth restricted baby in Aotearoa New Zealand: what can we learn from lived experience?

Description

Joanna Louise James and colleagues ask New Zealand parents how they received news that their baby was growing slowly in a 2026 interview study. Slow fetal growth affects up to 10 percent of pregnancies and raises risks, yet parents often lack clear, trustworthy information once a problem is named. Twenty-four participants across Aotearoa New Zealand joined focus groups or interviews by Zoom, describing what they were told, what they sought online and what would have helped.

Most parents expected a normal pregnancy and felt distress at diagnosis, valuing clinical information most when it was carefully chosen and given with empathy. Many still searched online for causes, medical terms and other families' stories, and timing mattered, since news given at a hard moment was harder to absorb. Parents wanted varied formats at varied times, gathered in one credible place, so understanding could build layer by layer rather than arrive all at once.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13455457