Date of Award

Spring 5-31-2026

Document Type

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscript

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Eligio David Soliman Jr., DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CDCES

Abstract

Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common concern in prenatal care and may contribute to fatigue, decreased activity tolerance, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. In a busy outpatient OB/GYN clinic, patient education may be limited by time constraints, workflow demands, and reliance on verbal teaching.
Purpose: This evidence-based practice project implemented a standardized IDA education bundle in a private outpatient OB/GYN clinic in San Diego, California, to improve patient-reported knowledge among prenatal patients.
Methods: Eligible participants included English-speaking pregnant patients aged 18 years or older who consented to complete the education intervention and pre/post surveys. During patient intake, participants received a standardized IDA handout on IDA risks, symptoms, iron-rich foods, supplement use, and when to contact the provider. De-identified pre/post Likert-scale survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: Seventeen prenatal patients participated. Mean total knowledge scores increased by 4.2 points after the intervention, and 88.2% of participants improved their total score. The largest gains were seen in general IDA knowledge, symptom recognition, and iron supplement use. Most participants (94.1%) reported that the handout was more helpful than verbal education alone, and all participants (100%) said it was easy to read.
Conclusion: A brief, standardized IDA handout was feasible during prenatal intake and improved patient-reported IDA knowledge, supporting handout-based education as a practical strategy to reinforce prenatal anemia teaching.

Keywords: iron deficiency anemia, pregnancy, prenatal education, patient knowledge

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Available for download on Wednesday, May 26, 2027

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