Hospitalization history and differences in self-rated pregnancy risk.

High-risk pregnancies affect a significant number of women each year. Limited information exists on how these women appraise the risk to their pregnancy. This descriptive study of expectant women who were medically categorized as high risk examined differences in women's self-appraisal of risk to themselves and their babies, based on hospitalization history, and differences among risk appraisals made by women and their health care providers. Women who were currently hospitalized had significantly lower self-appraised mother risk scores than both the women who were previously hospitalized and those never hospitalized. Women who were never hospitalized had significantly lower self-appraised baby risk scores than the women in both the currently and previously hospitalized groups. Women who were previously hospitalized scored highest on self-appraised risk to mother and risk to baby. Women reported significantly lower self-appraised risk to mother scores than their nurses.