SynthesisBMC health services research2025
Health professionals' beliefs and attitudes towards preconception care: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Organisation, Financing, and Implementation of Preconception Care in Primary Care: Implications for Women's Health and Well-Being.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Premarital Preventive Examinations and Access to Genetic Counselling in the South-Central Region of Bulgaria: Implications for Preconception and Child Health.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Primary care providers' perspectives on barriers and enablers influencing preconception care provision for African migrant and refugee women: qualitative interviews.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- Gender norms and responsibility for preconception health improvement: challenges and recommendations for action from the 2024 UK preconception EMCR network conference.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- 'It Was a Bit of a Now or Never Situation': Experiences of Preconception Care and Support for Women With Multiple Long-Term Health Conditions.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Preconception Care and Genetic Screening: A Global Review and Strategic Perspectives for Implementation in Bulgaria.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Health professionals require more defined protocols, better funding and patient resources to support couples with recurrent pregnancy loss.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Knowledge of healthcare providers on preconception care in east Africa: Systematic review and meta-analysis.SAGE open medicine · 2025Review
- Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding fertility preservation among women of childbearing age in southern China: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Developing consensus on priorities for preconception care in the general practice setting in the UK: Study protocol.PloS one · 2024Article
- Negative Perceptions, Low Knowledge, and Social Stigma as Barriers to Preconception Care in Primary Health Care.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHealth professionals have previously identified various barriers and factors that would help facilitate preconception care services in healthcare settings. Clinically relevant preconception information and clinical practice guidelines have since been developed to aid health professionals in preconception care delivery. This systematic review aimed to (1) synthesise recent literature (past 8 years) describing health professionals' beliefs and attitudes towards preconception care services or programmes and (2) determine if the experience of health professionals providing preconception care has changed compared to literature reviews conducted more than 8 years ago.
methodsFive databases were searched between 27/01/2016 and 20/11/2024. Primary quantitative and qualitative research studies were included if they examined health professionals' beliefs and attitudes towards delivering preconception care services or programmes. Study quality was assessed using the CASP Checklist (qualitative studies) and AXIS tool (quantitative studies). Data synthesis used thematic categorisation adapted from the framework approach.
resultsTwenty-seven studies were included (n = 11 qualitative, n = 14 quantitative, n = 2 mixed-methods studies). Methodological quality was generally good for qualitative studies but varied for quantitative studies. The results covered three categories: (1) addressing preconception care health literacy (i.e. lack of knowledge, awareness, training and resources), (2) clinical practicalities of preconception care (i.e. need for coordination of care and clarity on role responsibility), and (3) the role of the patient (i.e. need for public health education to support patient-led conversations).
conclusionsLittle has changed regarding the barriers and facilitators to providing preconception care reported by health professionals. To improve the provision of preconception care, there is a need to co-develop professional and public preconception health education, clinical resources, and a coordinated preconception healthcare service model.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.