Some Nurses Misinformed About Health Risks New Mothers Face, Survey Finds

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Most people assume that people who are actively involved in healthcare, like nurses and physicians, have the greatest knowledge of how to be as healthy as possible. That assumption is largely correct, but where things start to become problematic is when we assume that people involved in healthcare take the best care of themselves.

Doctors nurses and other health professionals may know what to do but they don't always follow their own advice or what they read in a text book. In addition to that, there are certain areas of medicine where knowledge can be deficient. A case in point is a recent report which found a surprising number of nurses in the United States may be misinformed regarding health risks and dangers that mothers face after giving birth.

According to the American Journal of Maternal and Child Nursing, nearly half of surveyed nurses did not know that the maternal death rate has risen in the United States in recent years and only 24% correctly identified heart-related problems as a leading cause of maternal death in the United States.

There are warning signs, including heavy bleeding, breathing issues and swelling.