Foundations for social justice-based actions in maternal/infant nursing

Mothers' perceptions of their health choices, related duties and responsibilities: A qualitative interview study

OBJECTIVE

to describe mothers' perceptions of their health choices, related duties and responsibilities.

DESIGN

descriptive exploratory study with qualitative research method.

SETTING

interviews conducted after the clients' regular health visits to one publicly provided maternity clinic in a southern city in Finland.

PARTICIPANTS

13 mothers aged between 21 and 40-years-old, who were pregnant or had given birth in the past four weeks. Six of participants were pregnant or had delivered for first time and it was the second to fourth pregnancy for the remainder.

DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS

one-to-one semi-structured interviews using the inductive content analysis method.

FINDINGS

women reported increased responsibility for their health choices for themselves and their baby during pregnancy. However, their duties and responsibilities were seldom discussed at maternity clinics. The duty to reconsider their health choices was described as a predictor of commitment to their pregnancy and motherhood, but they recognised that it required sufficient knowledge to realise this. In addition, the mothers said their health choices changed from private to one of public interest during this period.

CONCLUSIONS

health choices are connected to maternal duties and responsibilities, but they can sometimes lack clarity during this new phase of life. In future, more research should be conducted to study maternal duties and responsibilities in different contexts.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

findings highlight the skills of nurses and midwives at maternity clinics to discuss and support mothers' moral pondering during pregnancy. Although health choices in general are well recognised as a part of maternal counselling, these findings suggest a moral perspective should be incorporated into the advice that is provided.

Iranian women and care providers' perceptions of equitable prenatal care: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Equity as a basic human right builds the foundation of all areas of primary healthcare, especially prenatal care. However, it is unclear how pregnant women and their care providers perceive the equitable prenatal care.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore Iranian women's and care providers' perceptions of equitable prenatal care.

RESEARCH DESIGN

In this study, a qualitative approach was used. Individual in-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of pregnant women and their care providers. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis method.

PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT

A total of 10 pregnant women and 10 prenatal care providers recruited from six urban health centers across Ahvaz, a south western city in Iran, were participated in the study.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee affiliated to Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. The ethical principles of voluntary participation, confidentiality, and anonymity were considered.

FINDINGS

Analysis of participants' interviews resulted in seven themes: guideline-based care, time-saving care, nondiscriminatory care, privacy-respecting care, affordable comprehensive care, effective client-provider relationships, and caregivers' competency.

CONCLUSION

The findings explain the broader and less discussed dimensions of equitable care that are valuable information for the realization of equity in care. Understanding and focusing on these dimensions will help health policy-makers in designing more equitable healthcare services for pregnant women.

Applying ethical practice competencies to the prevention and management of unintended pregnancy

Using a case study that incorporates patient, nurse practitioner, and student perspectives, we address ethical principles of respect for autonomy, beneficence, and fairness; professionals' right of conscience; and a social justice model for the discussion of prevention and management of unintended pregnancy. Through an ongoing process of self-reflection and values clarification, nurses can prepare for the challenge of applying ethical principles to the reproductive health care of women.