'Doing' is never enough, if 'being' is neglected. Exploring midwives' perspectives on the influence of an emotional intelligence education programme, a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

The role of the midwife is emotionally demanding with many midwives experiencing high levels of stress and burnout, and a great number considering leaving the profession. This has serious implications for the delivery of high-quality, safe maternity care. One of the major factors leading to job dissatisfaction is the conflict between midwives' aspiration of truly 'being' with the woman and the institutional expectations of the role which focuses on the 'doing' aspects of the job. 'Being' present to a woman's psychological needs, whilst meeting the institutional demands, requires high levels of emotional intelligence (EI) in the midwife. Therefore, enhancing midwives' EI could be beneficial.

EI EDUCATION PROGRAMME

An EI programme was made available to midwives with the intention to promote their emotional intelligence and enable them to utilise relaxation techniques for those in their care.

AIM

To explore midwives' perspectives on the influence of the EI education programme on their emotional wellbeing and experiences of practice.

METHOD

The study took a descriptive qualitative approach. Thirteen midwives participated in focus group interviews. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

The overarching theme of 'The Ripple Effect' included three themes of 'Me and my relationships', 'A different approach to practice' and 'Confidence and empowerment'. The programme was seen to create a positive ripple effect, influencing midwives personally, their approach to practice, and feelings of confidence in their role.

CONCLUSION

EI education can reduce emotional stress in midwives, enhance their empathy and feelings of confidence, thus, improving the quality of care they provide.

Expectant parents' perspectives on the influence of a single antenatal relaxation class: A qualitative study

AIM

This study explores the perspectives of expectant parents on the influence of a single antenatal class incorporating education on childbirth physiology and relaxation techniques.

METHOD

The data for this qualitative descriptive study were collected via in-depth interviews with six women and three birth partners.

FINDINGS

An enhanced understanding of childbirth physiology formed a 'different way of thinking' about childbirth, 'inspired and motivated' the exertion of the learnt relaxation techniques which led to a 'deepsense of calmness' associated with increased confidence and reduced fear. However, reaching such sense of calmness during childbirth required a 'space for relaxation' which was influenced by birth attendants. An overarching theme of 'a positive outlook' towards childbirth was identified.

CONCLUSION

Including education on childbirth physiology and a range of relaxation techniques may reduce fear, empower prospective parents and positively influence their experiences of pregnancy and childbirth.

Service Evaluation of Relaxation Workshops for Pregnant Women

This article reports a service evaluation of "antenatal education on physiology of childbirth and relaxation." A service evaluation was carried out during group class discussion, immediately after the workshops, and following birth. Identified themes in the collected data were (a) my own relaxation, (b) confident, and not afraid, (c) proud of myself, (d) unexpected and feeling in control, and (e) support. Overall, women creatively customized the learned skills and reported feelings of pride and confidence. They reported feeling able to apply relaxation techniques when unexpected situations arise. Support and encouragement from partners and midwives were also valued by women. The evaluation demonstrates the efficacy of designing antenatal education that includes education on physiology of normal birth and relaxation training.

An interview study of pregnant women who were provided with indoor air quality measurements of second hand smoke to help them quit smoking

Background

Maternal smoking can cause health complications in pregnancy. Particulate matter (PM_2.5) metrics applied to second hand smoke (SHS) concentrations provide indoor air quality (IAQ) measurements and have been used to promote smoking behaviour change among parents of young children. Here, we present the qualitative results from a study designed to use IAQ measurements to help pregnant women who smoke to quit smoking.

Methods

We used IAQ measurements in two centres (Aberdeen and Coventry) using two interventions: 1. In Aberdeen, women made IAQ measurements in their homes following routine ultrasound scan; 2. In Coventry, IAQ measurements were added to a home-based Stop Smoking in Pregnancy Service. All women were invited to give a qualitative interview to explore acceptability and feasibility of IAQ measurements to help with smoking cessation. A case study approach using grounded theory was applied to develop a typology of pregnant women who smoke.

Results

There were 39 women recruited (18 in Aberdeen and 21 in Coventry) and qualitative interviews were undertaken with nine of those women. Diverse accounts of smoking behaviours and experiences of participation were given. Many women reported changes to their smoking behaviours during pregnancy. Most women wanted to make further changes to their own behaviour, but could not commit or felt constrained by living with a partner or family members who smoked. Others could not envisage quitting. Using themes emerging from the interviews, we constructed a typology where women were classified as follows: ‘champions for change’; ‘keen, but not committed’; and ‘can’t quit, won’t quit’. Three women reported quitting smoking alongside participation in our study.

Conclusions

Pregnant women who smoke remain hard to engage,. Although providing IAQ measurements does not obviously improve quit rates, it can support changes in smoking behaviour in/around the home for some individuals. Our typology might offer a useful assessment tool for midwives.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12884-016-1062-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

mtDNA variation of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting on Iranian islands of the Persian Gulf

Genetic diversity of sea turtles (hawksbill turtle) was studied using sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA, D-loop region). Thirty dead embryos were collected from the Kish and Qeshm Islands in the Persian Gulf. Analysis of sequence variation over 890 bp of the mtDNA control region revealed five haplotypes among 30 individuals. This is the first time that Iranian haplotypes have been recorded. Nucleotide and haplotype diversity was 0.77 and 0.001 for Qeshm Island and 0.64 and 0.002 for Kish Island, respectively. Total haplotype diversity was calculated as 0.69, which demonstrates low genetic diversity in this area. The data also indicated very high rates of migration between the populations of these two islands. A comparison of our data with data from previous studies downloaded from a gene bank showed that turtles of the Persian Gulf migrated from the Pacific and the Sea of Oman into this area. On the other hand, evidence of migration from populations to the West was not found.

Preliminary report comparing piperacillin and carbenicillin for complicated urinary tract infections

Piperacillin is a new semisynthetic penicillin with a broad spectrum of in vitro activity against common gram-negative urinary tract pathogens. We compared the efficacy and safety of piperacillin versus carbenicillin in patients with complicated urinary tract infection. A total of 56 adult patients (mean age 55 years) in stable medical condition with 1 or more structural genitourinary abnormalities entered the study. Of these patients 27 were evaluated for antibiotic efficacy. There were 20 lower tract and 7 upper tract infections, of which 17 were acute and 10 were chronic. Patients were randomized into 2 groups: 17 patients with 18 organisms received single agent treatment with 181 mg. per kg. intravenous piperacillin daily for 6 days and 10 patients with 11 organisms received 270 mg. per kg. intravenous carbenicillin daily for 6 days. Infecting organisms were Escherichia coli 45 per cent, Proteus mirabilis 14 per cent, Klebsiella pneumoniae 14 per cent. Enterobacter species 10 per cent, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7 per cent and so forth. Antimicrobial susceptibility assessed by measurement of minimal inhibitory concentration and disk diffusion zone size demonstrated superior activity of piperacillin over carbenicillin for most micro-organisms tested. All patients responded clinically. The bacteriologic cure rate was 72 per cent at 5 to 9 days after therapy in both groups. Three patients who received piperacillin had urosepsis and were cured. No resistance emerged during therapy. Superinfections developed in 5 patients on carbenicillin (50 per cent) and in 4 patients on piperacillin (24 per cent), and none was resistant to piperacillin. Superinfections were attributed to catheterization and structural genitourinary abnormalities. The over-all incidence of adverse effects in patients on piperacillin was less than that of those on carbenicillin, 31 and 51 per cent respectively. Side effects in both groups were mild and did not require discontinuation of therapy. There were no significant alterations in fluid and electrolyte balance, or hematologic or renal function.