European Journal of Midwifery最新文献

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine midwives' firsthand experience with aortic compression during postpartum hemorrhage. Severe postpartum hemorrhage is a critical complication during childbirth and the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Active management of the third stage of labor, combined with standard treatment, has reduced the incidence. However, these measures occasionally fall short, and there is a global need for easy, effective alternative methods. Aortic compression, though not widely recognized, is employed intermittently and lacks substantial scientific backing.

Methods: This qualitative study comprised interviews with midwives from various healthcare settings across Norway. Over a two-month period in 2022, we conducted seven individual semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-step process.

Results: Four prominent themes emerged from the analysis, reflecting midwives' experiences with aortic compression in managing postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). In their experiences with aortic compression, midwives uncovered its dual qualities of being both easy and effective. Their utilization of the technique was experience-based only, shaped by personal experience rather than formal training. Nevertheless, aortic compression was perceived as the first-line response to suspected postpartum hemorrhage, preventing escalation, and offering a clearer view of the situation to facilitate timely treatment. Most significantly, midwives recognized aortic compression as a crucial intervention that reduces blood loss and improves health.

Conclusions: Postpartum hemorrhage is a feared situation in the delivery room. The participants consider that aortic compression may affect maternal health and mortality. However, further research is necessary.

Introduction: Working with acute situations is usually part of midwifery practice. In the Netherlands the community midwives work in a context where they are mostly the sole decision-makers and policymakers and often do not have the support of a multidisciplinary team during a birth. How Dutch community midwives maintain their emotional hygiene is not known. This study aims to explore how Dutch midwives perceive fear and its influence on their performance.

Methods: This is a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews of 19 Dutch community midwives between October 2018 and January 2019.

Results: Four themes were identified: 1) midwives' perceptions of fear and anxiety, 2) how years of experience affect fear and anxiety, 3) influence of the work content; and 4) implications for performance. Midwives perceived fear in acute situations where maternal and/or fetal complications were imminent. Participants perceived anxiety either as helpful or a hindrance. Awareness of these feelings helps them to regulate whether or not to give in to these feelings.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest similar perspectives on fear in Dutch community midwives compared to previous outcomes. In the Netherlands, midwives seem reluctant to talk about fear and anxiety in the profession. The awareness of these emotions occurring while working is essential for the wellbeing of midwives, as well as the importance of knowing how to act on fear and anxiety.

Introduction: As labor induction rates continue to increase, so has the interest in performing induction in an outpatient setting for pregnancies defined as low-risk. Twenty women participated in the pilot study of a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) comparing inpatient and outpatient labor induction with oral misoprostol. This study aimed to explore women's experiences of outpatient induction of labor and their views on this as an alternative method to inpatient labor induction.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted, from November 2021 to January 2022 with eight women randomized to outpatient induction and four women randomized to inpatient induction. Verbatim transcribed interviews were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman's content analysis.

Results: Three main categories emerged: the required framework around outpatient labor induction, what felt better at home and what felt safer at the hospital. To feel secure at home, women needed sufficient information, close follow-up while at home, and an easy-to-administer induction method. Outpatient labor induction gave women the opportunity of constant support from the partner and increased freedom of movement and self-expression. Some expressed relief over being randomized to inpatient labor induction, because of easy access to health providers, fetal monitoring, and not risking giving birth before arrival to the hospital. Women stressed the importance of being given a choice.

Conclusions: Outpatient labor induction contributed to a positive birth experience and should be considered as an alternative for women with low-risk pregnancies. Shared decision-making, including the opportunity for women to change their mind, is essential as induction and early labor affects women's whole childbirth experience.

Introduction: Relevant and accurate information during the transition to parenthood is vital for active participation in decision-making. The aim of the study was to gain an in-depth understanding of informational support and information-seeking practices among women in Cyprus during the transition to parenthood with a focus on the use of the internet and informed decision making.

Methods: Qualitative descriptive exploratory design of 12 focus groups with 64 participants representing different language-cultural groups served by the Baby Buddy Cyprus app. A topic guide covering expectations, experiences and practices guided the discussions. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis.

Results: Seven themes and several subthemes emerged. In an 'unsupportive system', 'void' of informational support, pregnant women strive to have a 'confident voice'. They find themselves 'self-navigating in parallel worlds' of formal and informal information, where the internet holds a prominent place. 'Supplementing and filtering', instinctively and selectively, results in a state of 'doubt and faith' towards the trustworthiness of the information but also healthcare providers. Effective communication with providers is needed to break the cycle, but seems dependent on the self-efficacy of the women themselves ('art of communication'). Women 'deconstruct and reimagine' their experiences, often assigning responsibility on themselves for not having been better prepared.

Conclusions: Women want control over decisions affecting their pregnancy. While the internet is a prevalent source of information, they value communication with healthcare providers and want direction. A shift is needed from current practices of unguided information-searching. Maternity healthcare professionals need to recognize this phenomenon, offer appropriate guidance, and support active participation in informed decision-making.