Iraqi Nurses' Perspectives on Safety Issues in Maternity Services

Background:

Studies introduce maternal and neonatal safety phenomena as important challenges to the public health, particularly in low-income countries. However, few researches are conducted on the identification of safety issues in maternity hospitals in Iraq. It was the first study on nurses’ perspectives on safety issues in Kurdistan, Iraq.

Objectives:

The current study aimed to describe nurses’ perspectives on what constitutes a safe maternity service in Kurdistan, Iraq.

Patients and Methods:

A qualitative design, based on a content analysis approach, was used. Ten Kurdish nurses who worked in the delivery room of Kurdistan, Iraq maternity hospital were recruited through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were performed to collect data. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Sampling continued to the level of data saturation. Data analysis was performed based on the steps suggested by Graneheim and Lundman.

Results:

Thematic analysis led to the identification of six main categories including stressful job, lack of schedule and job description, providing care with limited resources, professional unaccountability, regional sociopolitical factors, and inadequate training.

Conclusions:

Iraqi nurses identified factors such as limited health resources, lack of job description, and professional unaccountability as major safety issues in maternity services. These findings alarm the need to ensure the provision of females and neonates with appropriate care. This, however, would require coordination between Iraqi Kurdistan health authorities to provide midwifery care facilities, high-quality and relevant staff training, and an effective healthcare system in the maternity units.

Perceived Benefits of Pre-Clinical Simulation-based Training on Clinical Learning Outcomes among Omani Undergraduate Nursing Students

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore the benefits perceived by Omani undergraduate maternity nursing students regarding the effect of pre-clinical simulation-based training (PSBT) on clinical learning outcomes.

METHODS

This non-experimental quantitative survey was conducted between August and December 2012 among third-year baccalaureate nursing students at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman. Voluntary participants were exposed to faculty-guided PSBT sessions using low- and medium-fidelity manikins, standardised scenarios and skill checklists on antenatal, intranatal, postnatal and newborn care and assessment. Participants answered a purposely designed self-administered questionnaire on the benefits of PSBT in enhancing learning outcomes. Items were categorised into six subscales: knowledge, skills, patient safety, academic safety, confidence and satisfaction. Scores were rated on a four-point Likert scale.

RESULTS

Of the 57 participants, the majority (95.2%) agreed that PSBT enhanced their knowledge. Most students (94.3%) felt that their patient safety practices improved and 86.5% rated PSBT as beneficial for enhancing skill competencies. All male students and 97% of the female students agreed that PSBT enhanced their confidence in the safe holding of newborns. Moreover, 93% of participants were satisfied with PSBT.

CONCLUSION

Omani undergraduate nursing students perceived that PSBT enhanced their knowledge, skills, patient safety practices and confidence levels in providing maternity care. These findings support the use of simulation training as a strategy to facilitate clinical learning outcomes in future nursing courses in Oman, although further research is needed to explore the objective impact of PSBT on learning outcomes.