Edinburgh Napier University

  Backgound: Perinatal Mental Illness (PMI) is a key cause of maternal
mortality and morbidity in the UK, with one goal of midwives to
identify those at risk during pregnancy. At present, the system of
preliminary identification of existing PMI in the UK involves the
midwife asking pregnant women the Whooley questions at the
antenatal booking interview. Aim: To explore midwives experiences
of asking the Whooley questions with pregnant women. Method: A
qualitative interpretive study explored midwives’ (n = 8) experiences
of asking the Whooley questions in one maternity unit in England (UK).
Data were gathered through semistructured interviews and analysed
using Framework Analysis (FWA). Findings: Themes and subthemes
identified included: (1) no clear understanding of purpose, (1a)
discomfort when disclosure occurs, (2) feeling pressurised for time,
(3) resultant dissatisfaction and frustration; (3a) lack of knowledge and
how to refer, (3b) lack of training around PMI, (3c) relying on experience
and use of intuition. Discussion: The development and evaluation
of an education curriculum to prepare midwives to effectively use
case-finding instruments such as the Whooley questions to identify
pregnant women at risk is required