Awareness of Pregnancy Screening for Group B Streptococcus Infection Among Women of Reproductive Age and Physicians in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background Group B Streptococcus is part of the normal flora of the female urogenital tract and rectum. Vaginal colonization and transmission of this bacteria during delivery can lead to neonatal life-threatening complications, which can be prevented by screening and the administration of intrapartum antibiotics. This study’s aim was to assess the level of awareness of antenatal screening of Group B Streptococcus among women and physicians in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study using an online survey from a previously published study was distributed among 767 participants in Jeddah from June to August 2020. The participants were family medicine or obstetrics and gynecology physicians and women of reproductive age. Results Our results revealed a good level of knowledge of the physicians, although almost half of them reported the need for training to correctly perform screenings. The level of the women’s knowledge was relatively poor, their mean knowledge was 50.7%, and the majority were unaware of this infection (85.3%). Conclusions This study found a low level of knowledge of Group B Streptococcus among women of reproductive age and physicians in obstetrics and gynecology and family medicine. These findings confirm the importance of increasing the awareness of Group B Streptococcus among these populations to avoid complications associated with this infection.