The concept, importance and values of support during childbearing and breastfeeding - A discourse paper

Healthcare professionals' perceptions of a digital parental support, Childbirth Journey, constructed as a serious game—An intervention study

Background

Globally, the digital sources developed and available in antenatal care differ, and infrastructure challenges may impede the further development of such sources. Challenges accompanying digital developments can include the commonly occurring high workload, which affects healthcare professionals' ability to acquire professional knowledge about how to best support parents in using digital sources. Including healthcare professionals in the development process of digital sources may increase the likelihood that such sources will be adopted and employed by these professionals in their future care work. Therefore, the present research explored healthcare professionals' perceptions of the digital support intervention Childbirth Journey, which was constructed as a serious game for expectant parents.

Methods

Data were collected through semi-structured focus-group interviews with 11 midwives at antenatal, labour and postnatal clinics as well as with child healthcare nurses. Prior to the interviews, all participants were provided the intervention, Childbirth Journey, which is a serious game in a mobile application format consisting of two distinct parts: (1) a story-driven game and (2) a Knowledge Portal. The data were analysed using phenomenographic methods.

Results

The perceptions of Childbirth Journey by healthcare professionals, midwives and child healthcare nurses are presented in four descriptive categories: extended professional support, trustworthy contents, diversity or individuality, and both appealing and in need of development.

Conclusions

Current study revealed that Childbirth Journey may be utilised as a digital support for parents, allowing healthcare professionals to offer a digital solution as a complementary support to standard, face-to-face meetings with caregivers. However, the research results also revealed that some elements of Childbirth Journey must be improved, thereby representing a main contribution of this study: insights into how to better develop digital tools under the umbrella of health care. Thus, we conclude that in order to create sustainable and safe digital care solutions that function as trustworthy professional supports instead of technical products that risk harming users, the perspectives of both patients and healthcare professionals should be considered in the exploration and development of these solutions.

Developing a woman-centered, inclusive definition of positive childbirth experiences: A discussion paper

INTRODUCTION

A positive childbirth experience promotes women's health, both during and beyond the perinatal period. Understanding what constitutes a positive childbirth experience is thus critical to providing high-quality maternity care. Currently, there is no clear, inclusive, woman-centered definition of a positive childbirth experience to guide practice, education, and research.

AIM

To formulate an inclusive woman-centered definition of a positive childbirth experience.

METHODS

A six-step process was undertaken: (a) Key concepts associated with a positive childbirth were derived from a rapid literature review; (b) The key concepts were used by interdisciplinary experts in the author group to create a draft definition; (c) The draft definition was presented to clinicians and researchers during a European research meeting on perinatal mental health; (d) The authors integrated the expert feedback to refine the working definition; (e) A revised definition was shared with women from consumer groups in six countries to confirm its face validity; and (f) A final definition was formulated based on the women's feedback (n = 42).

RESULTS

The following definition was formulated: "A positive childbirth experience refers to a woman's experience of interactions and events directly related to childbirth that made her feel supported, in control, safe, and respected; a positive childbirth can make women feel joy, confident, and/or accomplished and may have short and/or long-term positive impacts on a woman's psychosocial well-being."

CONCLUSIONS

This inclusive, woman-centered definition highlights the importance of provider interactions for facilitating a positive childbirth experience. Feeling supported and having a sense of control, safety, and respect are central tenets. This definition could help to identify and validate positive childbirth experience(s), and to inform practice, education, research, advocacy, and policy-making.

Expecting parents’ perceptions of the digital parental support “childbirth journey” constructed as a serious game—an intervention study

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore expecting parents’ perceptions of the Childbirth Journey as an intervention that includes medical information for parental support, constructed as a serious game.

Methods

In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were held with expecting parents in Sweden who were able to talk about specific parts of the Childbirth Journey they appreciated or found difficult to understand. A phenomenographic methodology was employed for data analysis.

Results

Participants perceived the Childbirth Journey to be easily accessible and customized with reliable information. The design and features of the intervention were perceived by the expecting parents to enhance the intervention’s usability, appeal, and trustworthiness. When parental couples used the Childbirth Journey together, it gave them an opportunity to discuss and better understand each other’s situation. The participants proposed several changes to the existing version of the game, mostly related to extending practical information and illustrated scenarios but also to the further development of the game’s design and animations. The participants found the Knowledge portal to be the most appealing part of the Childbirth Journey.

Conclusions

The Childbirth Journey intervention was concluded to be a valuable digital complement to in-person professional support, especially given the current COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in place in Sweden, which do not allow antenatal visits by partners. However, in its current form, the Childbirth Journey has some deficiencies and would therefore benefit from further development and exploration.