Assessing the Level of Knowledge and Skills of Midwives Regarding Preeclampsia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65693/irss.2026.v7i2.177Abstract
This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and skills of midwives regarding preeclampsia in public hospitals in Sana’a, the capital city. To achieve the research objectives and test the hypotheses, a descriptive and analytical approach was employed. The study sample consisted of midwives working in public hospitals in Sana’a, and the researchers used a questionnaire as the data collection tool.
The statistical analysis revealed that the level of knowledge regarding the concept of preeclampsia was 25%, indicating a moderate level of understanding. This reflected a basic awareness of the condition’s definition and diagnostic criteria, though it fell short of the expected standard. Knowledge of the symptoms of preeclampsia was also at 25%, reflecting an acceptable awareness of common symptoms, but still within the moderate range.
Regarding risk factors, the knowledge level was 54%, indicating a deficiency in recognizing the factors that contribute to the development of the condition. Furthermore, the results showed that knowledge of the complications associated with preeclampsia was the lowest among all categories at 54%, highlighting a significant knowledge gap regarding the serious complications that could threaten the lives of both the mother and the fetus.
Additionally, knowledge of the medications used in treatment ranged from moderate to low, highlighting the need for enhanced clinical and practical training in this area. The study recommends focusing on increasing awareness of severe complications such as seizures, renal failure, and bleeding, in order to raise awareness of the severity of the condition and the need for prompt intervention. The study also calls for enhancing the theoretical aspect through continuous educational programs that focus on accurate and up-to-date definitions, diagnostic criteria, and early detection of warning signs to prevent complications
References
1. 1. Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation. Oxford University Press
2. 10. Knowledge and Skills of Midwives Toward Eclampsia in Public Hospitals in Sana’a City, Yemen,
3. 11. Al‑Razi University Journal for Medical Sciences, 2(2), 2020.
4. 12. Al-Rabeei, N. (2020). Competences of Midwives
5. 13. Al‑Tarawneh T., Shoqirat N., Almalik M.
6. 14. Knowledge and Attitude Toward the Management of Pre‑Eclampsia and Eclampsia Among Healthcare Providers Working in Maternity Settings in Jordan,
7. 15. Garti I., Gray M., Tan J. Y., Bromley A.
8. 16. Midwives’ Knowledge of Pre‑Eclampsia Management: A Scoping Review, Women and Birth, 34(1), 2021.
9. 17. Al-Tarawneh, T. R., Bdeir, R., Jakalat, S., Al-Qaaneh, A. M., & Sumaqa, Y. A. (2025). Knowledge and attitude toward the management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia among healthcare providers working in maternity settings in Jordan: A cross-sectional study. Belitung Nursing Journal, 11(5), 589.
10. 18. Angelina, J. A., Kibusi, S. M., Mwampagatwa, I., & Ernest, A. (2020). Knowledge on prevention and management of preeclampsia and eclampsia among nurses in primary health settings: baseline findings from an interventional study In Dodoma Region, Tanzania. East African Health Research Journal, 4(1), 33-40.
11. 19. Emam, E. A., & Saber, N. M. (2018). Effect of nursing program on improving nurses’ knowledge and skills regarding care of eclamptic women. American Journal of Nursing Research, 6(6), 430-436
12. 2. Olaoye, T., Oyerinde, O. O., Elebuji, O. J., & Ologun, O. (2019). Knowledge, perception and management of pre-eclampsia among health care providers in a maternity hospital. International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS, 8(2), 80
13. 20. Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (2010). Predicting and Changing Behavior: The Reasoned Action Approach. Psychology Press
14. 21. Fisher, S. J. (2004). The placental problem: linking abnormal cytotrophoblast differentiation to the maternal symptoms of preeclampsia. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 2(1), 53
15. 22. Fondjo, L. A., Boamah, V. E., Fierti, A., Gyesi, D., & Owiredu, E. W. (2019). Knowledge of preeclampsia and its associated factors among pregnant women: a possible link to reduce related adverse outcomes. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 19(1), 456
16. 23. Geldenhuys, J., Rossouw, T. M., Lombardo, H. A., Ehlers, M. M., & Kock, M. M. (2018). Disruption in the regulation of immune responses in the placental subtype of preeclampsia. Frontiers in immunology, 9, 1659
17. 24. Mekie, M., Addisu, D., Benzie, M., Melkie, A., Gaetano, D., Bayih, W. A., & Taklual, W. (2021). Knowledge and attitude of pregnant women towards preeclampsia and its associated factors in South Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: a multi‐center facility‐based cross‐sectional study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 21(1), 160.
18. 25. Ahmed, A., Rezai, H., & Broadway-Stringer, S. (2017). Evidence-based revised view of the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. Adv Exp Med Biol, 956, 355-374
19. 26. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2020). Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia: ACOG practice bulletin, number 222. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 135(6), e237–e260.
20. 27. Atallah, A.; Lecarpentier, E.; Goffinet, F.; Doret-Dion, M.; Gaucherand, P.; Tsatsaris, V. Aspirin for Prevention of Preeclampsia. Drugs 2017, 77, 1819–1831. [CrossRef]
21. 28. Backes, C. H., Markham, K., Moorehead, P., Cordero, L., Nankervis, C. A., & Giannone, P. J. (2011). Maternal preeclampsia and neonatal outcomes. Journal of pregnancy, 2011(1), 214365.
22. 29. Belitung Nursing Journal, 2020.
23. 3. Pallangyo, A. S., & Seif, S. A. (2023). Knowledge and attitude of healthcare providers on managing pre-eclampsia and eclampsia during antenatal care in Mwanza Region-Tanzania. SAGE open nursing, 9, 23779608231193745.
24. 30. Bitko, V.; Velazquez, A.; Yang, L.; Yang, Y.C.; Barik, S. Transcriptional induction of multiple cytokines by human respiratory syncytial virus requires activation of NF-κB and is inhibited by sodium salicylate and aspirin. Virology 1997, 232, 369–378. [CrossRef]
25. 31. Bokslag, A., van Weissenbruch, M., Mol, B. W., & de Groot, C. J. (2016). Preeclampsia; short and long-term consequences for mother and neonate. Early human development, 102, 47-50.
26. 32. Bolte, A. C., van Geijn, H. P., & Dekker, G. A. (2001). Pathophysiology of preeclampsia and the role of serotonin. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 95(1), 12-21
27. 33. Brown, M. A., Magee, L. A., Kenny, L. C., Karumanchi, S. A., McCarthy, F. P., Saito, S., Hall, D. R., Warren, C. E., Adoyi, G., & Ishaku, S. (2018). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: ISSHP classification, diagnosis, and management recommendations for international
28. 34. Brown, M. A., Magee, L. A., Kenny, L. C., Karumanchi, S. A., McCarthy, F. P., Saito, S., Hall, D. R., Warren, C. E., Adoyi, G., & Ishaku, S. (2018). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: ISSHP classification, diagnosis, and management recommendations for international practice. Hypertension, 72(1), 24–43.
29. 35. Cunningham, F. G., Leveno, K. J., Bloom, S. L., Spong, C. Y., & Dashe, J. S. (2020). Maternal-fetal medicine: Principles and practice (8th ed.). Elsevier
30. 36. Cunningham, F. G., Leveno, K. J., Bloom, S. L., Spong, C. Y., & Dashe, J. S. (2022). Williams obstetrics (26th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education
31. 37. Davison, J. M., Homuth, V., Jeyabalan, A., Conrad, K. P., Karumanchi, S. A., Quaggin, S., ... & Luft, F. C. (2004). New aspects in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 15(9), 2440-2448
32. 38. Dimitriadis, E., Rolnik, D. L., Zhou, W., Estrada-Gutierrez, G., Koga, K., Francisco, R. P., ... & Menkhorst, E. (2023). Pre-eclampsia. Nature reviews Disease primers, 9(1), 8.
33. 39. Dimitriadis, E.; Rolnik, D.L.; Zhou, W.; Estrada-Gutierrez, G.; Koga, K.; Francisco, R.P.V.; Whitehead, C.; Hyett, J.; da Silva Costa, F.; Nicolaides, K.; et al. Pre-eclampsia. Nat. Rev. Dis. Prim. 2023, 9, 8. [CrossRef]
34. 4. Pauli JM, Repke JT. Preeclampsia. Short and long-term implicate- tions.
35. 40. Eiland, E., Nzerue, C., & Faulkner, M. (2012). Preeclampsia 2012. Journal of pregnancy , 2012 (1), 586-578 .
36. 41. Gabbe, S. G., Niebyl, J. R., Simpson, J. L., Landon, M. B., Galan, H. L., & Jauniaux, E. (2021). Obstetrics: Normal and problem pregnancies (8th ed.). Elsevier
37. 42. Goulopoulou, S. (2017). Maternal vascular physiology in preeclampsia. Hypertension, 70(6), 1066-1073
38. 43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ogc.2015.01.007PMID: 26002168
39. 44. Knowles, H.J.; Tian, Y.M.; Mole, D.R.; Harris, A.L. Novel mechanism of action for hydralazine: Induction of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α, vascular endothelial growth factor, and angiogenesis by inhibition of prolyl hydroxylases. Circ. Res. 2004, 95, 162–169. [CrossRef]
40. 45. Magee, L. A., Pels, A., Helewa, M., Rey, E., & von Dadelszen, P. (2022). The management of hypertension in pregnancy. BMJ, 378, e069934
41. 46. Mol, B. W., Roberts, C. T., Thangaratinam, S., Magee, L. A., De Groot, C. J., & Hofmeyr, G. J. (2016). Pre-eclampsia. The Lancet, 387(10022), 999-1011
42. 47. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 2881. [CrossRef]
43. 48. Moore, K. L., & Hacker, N. F. (2016). Essentials of obstetrics and gynecology (6th ed.). Elsevier
44. 49. Mustary, M., Syam, A., Riskiyani, S., Erika, K. A., Moedjiono, A. I., & Lubis, M. (2024). Preeclampsia: etiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, impact and prevention: a narrative review. Iranian Journal of Public
45. 5. Garti, I., Gray, M., Tan, J.-Y., & Bromley, A. (2021). Midwives’ knowledge of pre‑eclampsia management: A scoping review. Women and Birth, 34(1), 87–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2020.08.010
46. 50. Rolnik, D.L.; Nicolaides, K.H.; Poon, L.C. Prevention of preeclampsia with aspirin. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2022, 226, S1108–S1119. [CrossRef]
47. 51. Sakowicz, A. The Targeting of Nuclear Factor Kappa B by Drugs Adopted for the Prevention and Treatment of Preeclampsia. Int.
48. 52. Sakowicz, A., Bralewska, M., Rybak-Krzyszkowska, M., Grzesiak, M., & Pietrucha, T. (2023). New ideas for the prevention and treatment of preeclampsia and their molecular inspirations. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(15), 12100
49. 53. Socol, F. G., Bernad, E., Craina, M., Abu-Awwad, S. A., Bernad, B. C., Socol, I. D., ... & Andreescu, N. I. (2024). Health Impacts of Pre-eclampsia: A Comprehensive Analysis of Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes. Medicina, 60(9), 1486.
50. 54. Toward Management of Eclampsia at Public Hospitals in Sana'a City-Yemen. Al-Razi University Journal for Medical Sciences
51. 55. UpToDate. (2023). Preeclampsia: Clinical features
52. 56. Wagner, L. K. (2004). Diagnosis and management of preeclampsia. American family physician, 70(12), 2317-2324.
53. 57. Wicin´ski, M.; Malinowski, B.; Puk, O.; Socha, M.; Słupski, M. Methyldopa as an inductor of postpartum depression and maternal blues: A review. Biomed. Pharmacother. 2020, 127, 110196. [CrossRef]
54. 58. World Health Organization. (2019). Recommendations: Diagnosis and treatment of preeclampsia and eclampsia. World Health Organization
55. 59. Zhang, Q.; Lin, Z.; Yin, X.; Tang, L.; Luo, H.; Li, H.; Zhang, Y.; Luo, W. In vitro and in vivo study of hydralazine, a potential anti-angiogenic agent. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2016, 779, 138–146. [CrossRef] [PubMed]
56. 6. Stellenberg, E. L., & Ngwekazi, N. L. (2016). Knowledge of midwives about hypertensive disorders during pregnancy at primary healthcare clinics. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine.
57. 7. Talb Kadhim, S., & Khairi, S. H. (2020). Effectiveness of Educational Program on Nurse‑midwives’ Knowledge about Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 14(3), 2714–2719.
58. 8. Al‑Tarawneh, T. R., Bdeir, R., Al‑ja’freh, S., Jakalat, S., Al‑Qaaneh, A. M., & Abu Sumaqa, Y. (2025). Knowledge and attitude toward the management of pre‑eclampsia and eclampsia among healthcare providers in Jordan: A cross‑sectional study.
59. 9. Al‑Rabeei N. A., Al‑Dubhani A. M., Alrubaiee G. G., Al‑Shaabi Y. A., Dallak A. M.
60. Al-Akwa, S., Al-Ataki, A., Al-Awadhi, A., Abdulmoghani, I., Al-Madoumi, I., Al-Wesabi, M., Al-Samei, A., Al-Hajjaji, B., Al-Doais, T., Salem, R., Jarwash, F., Al-Nofeesh, M., Al-Azizi, J., & Al-Nazari, M. (2024). The Role of Governance in Improving the Quality of Healthcare Services in Yemeni Hospitals: (A Case Study of the Republican Teaching Hospital Authority). Institutional Repository for Scientific Scholarship at 21 September University for Medical and Applied Sciences, 5(1), 1-133. https://doi.org/10.65693/irss.2024.v5i1.39
61. Al-Wesabi, M. M., & Eskander, N. A. (2026). The Impact of Pregnant Women’s Dietary Behavior on the Physiological Adaptation Paradox and Maternal-Fetal Resource Conflict in Conflict Settings: A Predictive Analytical Study. medRxiv, 2026-06. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.17.26355845
62. Al-Wesabi, M., & Jarallah, M. (2024). The Reality of Training Quality and its Role in Improving the Performance of Operating Theater Technicians in Yemeni Hospitals: A Comparative Analytical Study Between the Republican Teaching Hospital Authority and Kuwait University Hospital. Institutional Repository for Scientific Scholarship at 21 September University for Medical and Applied Sciences, 5(1), 1-92. https://doi.org/10.65693/irss.2024.v5i1.49
63. Al-Wesabi, M., & Munassar, S. (2026). Enterprise Risk Management and Patient Safety in War-Torn Healthcare Systems: A Cross-Sectional Study in Yemeni Referral Hospitals. Journal of Administrative Sciences, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.65693/jas.2026.v1i1.1
64. Al-Wesabi, MM. Measar, MA. Eskander, NA. (2026). The Overlapping Impact of Lighting Conditions and Floor Types on Physiological and Physical Stress Among Surgical Staff: A Field Study in Government Hospitals in Sana’a, 18 June 2026, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10035224/v1
65. Alyahawi A, Measar M, Alwesabi M, Alkaf A. (2024). Clinically Significant Statin-Drug Interactions in Older Patients with Chronic Diseases. Pharmaceutical Research - Recent Advances and Trends Vol. 4, B P International, pp.1-21. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/prrat/v4/598
66. Qabban, K. A., Al-Wesabi, M. M. (2025). The Impact of Career Development on Improving Nursing Performance in Yemen Hospitals - Sana’a. Sana’a University Journal of Human Sciences, 4(11), 277-317. https://doi.org/10.59628/jhs.v4i11.1809
67. Qabban, K. A., Al-Wesabi, M. M. (2026). Impact of Career Development Strategies on Sustainable Nursing Performance in Yemen: Testing Patient-Centered JCI Mediation via Structural Equation Modeling, 23 June 2026, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10073193/v1
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 أروى أحمـد أحمـد الـعامـري، صفاء مصـلـح مـحـمـد صـويـلح، إيناس لطف محمد الكبسي، عـائشـة مـحـمد نـعمـان المليـكي، خــولة فـائز أحمد الجوفي، عـلـيـاء عـبـاد صالـح الـشـيـخ، رنا بشير صالح المحمودي، غديـر عـبد الرحمـن علي الشـرعبي، سـلا عـبـده حـسـن قائـد، مـنار مـحـمـد سـعـد الـبـدوي، شيماء محمد عبده الصبري، هــدية علي مـحمــد الــزبـيـدي، د / إبراهيم محمد الحمدي، أ/ سارة محمد الصغير (المؤلف)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.