The objective of this study was to develop an assessment tool, ReproKnow, to evaluate the reproductive health knowledge of women with a wide range of rheumatic diseases. The 10-item multiple-choice questionnaire was developed with feedback from a panel of content experts and female patients with rheumatic diseases. Construct validity using known-groups analysis was evaluated through comparison of median total ReproKnow scores between rheumatology fellows and nurses. Female patients aged 18–50 years were recruited to take ReproKnow and demographic questionnaires in two outpatient clinics. Associations between patients’ mean total knowledge scores and demographic characteristics were assessed using independent-sample t-tests. Questions were also categorized by topical area, and the percentages were calculated. The completion rate of questions in ReproKnow was 100% across all users. Median ReproKnow scores were significantly higher among rheumatology fellows than among nurses (p = 0.045). The 153 patients recruited to the study had at least one of 15 rheumatic diseases. Patients’ mean knowledge score was 5.05 (SD 2.24) out of a possible high score of 10. Patients who were younger, White, and more educated had significantly higher scores than did other patients (p’s < 0.05). Patients who bore children after their disease diagnosis had higher knowledge scores than did women whose children were born prior to their diagnosis; in contrast, women with histories of surgical sterilization or hysterectomy had lower knowledge scores than other women. Knowledge scores of women who used potentially fetotoxic medications did not vary from the remainder of the sample. Patients demonstrated gaps in knowledge about birth outcomes, contraceptive efficacy, and breastfeeding safety. Initial testing of ReproKnow suggests that it may be a promising tool to assess the reproductive health knowledge of women with diverse rheumatic diseases. Specific knowledge deficits elicited from ReproKnow may be important targets for future educational interventions.

中文翻译：

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开发 ReproKnow，一种针对风湿病女性的生殖知识评估

本研究的目的是开发一种评估工具 ReproKnow，以评估患有各种风湿性疾病的女性的生殖健康知识。10 项多项选择问卷是根据内容专家小组和风湿病女性患者的反馈制定的。通过比较风湿病学研究员和护士之间的中位总 ReproKnow 分数来评估使用已知组分析的结构有效性。招募了 18-50 岁的女性患者，在两个门诊接受 ReproKnow 和人口统计问卷。使用独立样本 t 检验评估患者的平均总知识分数和人口统计学特征之间的关联。问题也按主题领域分类，并计算百分比。ReproKnow 中所有用户的问题完成率为 100%。风湿病学研究员的 ReproKnow 中位数显着高于护士（p = 0.045）。招募到该研究的 153 名患者至少患有 15 种风湿性疾病中的一种。患者的平均知识得分为 5.05（标准差 2.24），得分可能为 10 分。较年轻、白人和受过更多教育的患者得分明显高于其他患者（p < 0.05）。在疾病诊断后生孩子的患者的知识分数高于在诊断前生孩子的女性；相比之下，有手术绝育史或子宫切除术史的女性的知识分数低于其他女性。使用潜在胎儿毒性药物的女性的知识分数与样本的其余部分没有差异。患者在分娩结果、避孕效果和母乳喂养安全方面的知识存在差距。ReproKnow 的初步测试表明，它可能是评估患有多种风湿性疾病的女性生殖健康知识的有前途的工具。ReproKnow 引发的特定知识缺陷可能是未来教育干预的重要目标。