Prenatal counseling beyond the threshold of viability

Objective:it is common clinical practice to counsel parents expecting an early-moderate premature birth. the aim of the current study was to assess maternal knowledge of potential problems of prematurity after counseling.study design:prospective study of 49 participants admitted between 23 and 33 weeks gestation with threatened premature birth; a prematurity knowledge questionnaire and the state-trait anxiety inventory were administered after counseling but before delivery.result:across all gestational-ages, participants were more aware of short-term problems than long-term problems. with increasing gestational age the knowledge of long-term problems decreased (p=0.01). maternal knowledge was 82% for gestational ages where clear guidelines exist regarding goal of counseling and information that should be provided to the parents.conclusion:most mothers of early-moderate premature infants are not aware of the potential for long-term problems. guidelines, which outline the information that should be provided to parents, may improve maternal knowledge after counseling.