Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Implementing clinical guidelines for gestational weight gain care: a novel application of best-worst scaling to
Eva Farragher1,2,3, Laura A Wall4,5, Olivia Wynne6,4
1Population Health, Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend, NSW, 2287, Australia. eva.farragher@health.nsw.gov.au.
Background:
Antenatal clinical guidelines recommending the provision of care for gestational weight gain (GWG) are not routinely delivered by antenatal care providers (ACPs). Determining barriers to such care delivery can inform the development of targeted strategies to improve implementation. However, no previous studies have identified which barriers are most important.
Methods:
A best-worst scaling (BWS) survey was developed to estimate the magnitude and rank the importance of barriers to the delivery of recommended GWG care. The survey was conducted between December 2020 and November 2021 with ACPs (medical, midwifery, and Aboriginal health workers) who provided care in public maternity services within three sites in New South Wales, Australia. ACPs were asked to select which of four barriers were most and least likely to inhibit five recommended GWG care practices (assessment of GWG; advice on GWG, diet and physical activity; and referral to specialist GWG services). Rankings of barriers were determined through choice frequency analysis for ACPs at each site.
Results:
A total of 143 ACPs completed the survey (64.4% response rate). For each of the five recommended GWG care practices, the most important barrier across all health sites and for both midwives and medical ACPs was 'compared to other aspects of my job, the guideline care is not a high priority.' There was some variation in the importance of barriers between sites. Across all sites, medical staff were more likely than midwives to report 'I forget' as a barrier to weighing and providing weight tracking and dietary advice and 'I don't feel confident (providing this GWG care practice)' as a barrier to providing referrals to a specialist GWG service.
Conclusions:
Best-worst scaling was a valuable method to rank the influence of barriers and to prioritise site-specific and profession-based barriers to ACP provision of guideline-recommended care for GWG. Not all barriers were equally important, and this 'hierarchy' differed across ACPs and sites. Implementation strategies should be developed to address the highest priority barriers, tailored to site and professional needs.
Trial Registration:
Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12621000054819 (22/01/2021). http://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380680&isReview=true.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Nursing Interventions II: Selecting and Classifying the Nursing Interventions
01:11Guidelines for Writing Outcome
Patient outcomes reflect the patient's response to the goal rather than what the nurse aims to achieve. Terminology should be observable and measurable to avoid the reader's interpretation. The desired outcome should be realistic and achievable in the designated care timeframe. Expected outcomes should align with adjunctive therapies. The outcome should enhance care...
01:25Role of Communication in the Nursing Process II: Planning and Implementation
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
01:10Pre-Procedural Guidelines for Assessing Blood Pressure