Nurses' Experiences of Caring for Disabled Women during Pregnancy and Childbirth

Eun-Joo Lee

doi:10.4069/kjwhn.2016.22.4.308

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Lee: Nurses' Experiences of Caring for Disabled Women during Pregnancy and Childbirth

Original Article

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing 2016; 22(4): 308-321.

Published online: 27 December 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2016.22.4.308

Nurses' Experiences of Caring for Disabled Women during Pregnancy and Childbirth

Eun-Joo Lee

College of Nursing, Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea.

Corresponding author: Lee, Eun-Joo. College of Nursing, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju-si, Jeju 63243, Korea. Tel: +82-64-754-3880, Fax: +82-64-702-2686, flym2m@jejunu.ac.kr

Received 21 November 2016 Revised 9 December 2016 Accepted 16 December 2016

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

This phenomenological study was to describe and to understand nurses' experiences of caring for woman with disability during pregnancy and childbirth.

Methods

Participants were 13 nurses from 3 hospitals and 2 local clinics in J city, and were selected through snow-balling method. Data were collected two face to face, semi-structured interviews. The researcher used MP3 player and smart phone for recording as well as transcription process. As for the data analysis, Colaizzi's method was applied.

Results

Nurses' experiences were structured as four theme clusters: ‘Communicating between/among nurses’, ‘Recognizing pregnancy and childbirth of woman with disability’, ‘Taking care of woman with disability based on their differences’ and ‘Reflecting on nursing care for woman with disability’.

Conclusion

It seemed that nurses' recognition to woman with disability and her pregnancy and childbirth was related their nursing care for woman with disability.

Keywords: Woman with disability, Pregnancy, Childbirth, Nurse, Phenomenological study

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Theme Clusters in Nurses' Experiences of Caring for Disabled Women during Pregnancy and Childbirth

Theme cluster	Theme	Subtheme
Communicating between/among nurses	Realizing situation to take care of WWD	Usual thing
		Unexpected thing
		Worrisome thing
	Discussing how to care of WWD	Discussing as usual business
	Discussing how to care of WWD	Discussing based on characteristics of disability
Recognizing pregnancy and childbirth of WWD	Natural process	Not different process
	Natural process	Manageable process
	Laborious process	Sympathetic process
		Ambivalent process
		Process with little cooperation
	Process failed to prevent	Process without preparation
	Process failed to prevent	Process failed to control
Taking care of WWD based on their differences	Establishing communication method with WWD	Writing and gesturing
		Explaining to supporting group
		Getting used to expressions of WWD
	Focusing WWD discomfort in caring	Helping self-care
	Focusing WWD discomfort in caring	Administrating more time on WWD
	Finding alternatives when WWD ignorant of situation	Utilizing WWD family members
	Finding alternatives when WWD ignorant of situation	Administrating care without WWD self help
	Being anxious about things after WWD discharge	Having some apprehensions for mother
		Having some apprehensions for baby
		Considering supporting group
Reflecting on nursing care for WWD	Caring with satisfaction
	Caring without difference
	Caring lacked consideration
	Preparing for better caring

WWD=woman with disability.

Summary Statement

▪ What is already known about this topic?

During pregnancy and childbirth, woman with disability is likely to experience the discrimination in social life and in using health care service.

▪ What this paper adds?

Nurses' recognition to woman with disability and her pregnancy and childbirth was related to their nursing care for her.

▪ Implications for practice, education and/or policy

In practice, nurses should be supported the sufficient resources(eg. time, knowledge and information, and professionals) to improve the quality of nursing care for woman with disability during pregnancy and childbirth. At same time in education, nursing school should reinforce its curriculum on disability and woman with disability so that nursing students can be sensitive in their caring.

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