Periconceptional folic acid: Knowledge amongst patients and health care workers in a London teaching hospital

Objective. To assess knowledge of the role of periconceptional folic acid supplementation in preventing neural tube defects and awareness of the Department of Health's recommendations. Setting. An inner city genitourinary medicine clinic at a London teaching hospital. Design. Anonymous questionnaire. Subjects. One hundred consecutive female patients and all doctors, nurses and health advisers. Results. Fifty per cent of the 46 staff surveyed would give correct, or partially correct, advice regarding periconceptional folic acid supplementation. Although 13 stall knew that Department of Health guidelines existed, only two doctors and one nurse knew what they were. Two doctors considered periconceptional folic acid contraindicated. Sixty per cent of women surveyed wanted another child in the future but 76 per cent of these women knew nothing of the recommendations or of the role of folic acid in preventing neural tube defects. Seven of 52 women who had previously been pregnant had taken folic acid around conception. Conclusions. There is widespread ignorance of the role of folic acid in pregnancy amongst the patients and health care professionals surveyed. The majority of women attending this genitourinary medicine clinic would like to become pregnant in the future and are therefore an appropriate population at whom to target information. Due to the unplanned nature of so many pregnancies, recommendations which involve preconceptional planning may be inadequate. We strongly support a government-led education campaign aimed at women and health care workers involved in sexual and reproductive health.