The phenomenological approach has gained popularity among nurse researchers as an alternative investigative method to those used in the natural sciences. As more nurse scholars and nurse researchers utilize phenomenology as a research approach, it becomes critical to examine the implications this may have for nursing knowledge development and for the utilization of that knowledge in practice. In this paper, an examination of the results of phenomenological inquiry is presented and compared with the types of knowledge considered important for nursing by Carper and White. It is clear that phenomenology contributes to empirical, moral, aesthetic, personal, and socio-political knowledge development. Its contribution is not in developing predictive and prescriptive theory, but in revealing the nature of human experience. Although interpretive inquiry, such as hermeneutic phenomenology, does not prescribe action for use in clinical practice, it does influence a thoughtful reflective attentive practice by its revealing of the meanings of human experience.

Objective: Although prenatal ultrasound (US) is a common clinical undertaking today, little information is available about women's experience of the procedure from the perspective of women themselves. The objective of this study was to explore women's experience of undergoing a routine prenatal US examination associated with an unexpected fetal diagnosis.Study Design: Qualitative methods were used to explore the prenatal US experience of 13 women. Five women were given unexpected news of multiple pregnancy and eight women were given unexpected news of congenital fetal abnormality. One in-depth audio-taped interview was conducted with each woman. Content analysis of interview data identified themes common to women's experience of US.Results: Identified themes of women's experience of routine prenatal US examination associated with an unexpected fetal diagnosis are: experiencing the setting, sensing information, feeling connected/ disconnected, the power of the image, and communication rules. Conclusions:Women's experience of prenatal US examination is influenced by physical and environmental factors and by the behaviors of the US examiner. Behaviors of the examiner contribute to a woman's labeling of the US experience as positive or negative. Women identify being objectified by the examination and experience poor communication patterns after a fetal US diagnosis. Women's description of the US screen image as a baby suggests it is a powerful influence on subsequent clinical and ethical decision-making about the pregnancy. Journal of Perinatology (2006Perinatology ( ) 26, 403-408. doi:10.1038 Keywords: prenatal care; sonography; maternal experience; antenatal diagnosis; fetal anomaly Introduction Although routine ultrasound examination (US) in low-risk pregnancy has not been proven to be advantageous in terms of perinatal mortality and morbidity, its use has become standard during pregnancy.1,2 Diagnoses resulting from prenatal US include multiple gestation, congenital fetal abnormalities, fetal growth problems and amniotic fluid or placental abnormalities. Study of US as a perinatal diagnostic tool has focused on whether US improves perinatal outcomes, 3-6 the psychological effect on women and men of such an examination, 7-9 perception and receipt of information, 10-14 and the experiences of staff who perform US examinations.15,16 A 1998 Cochrane review of routine US 17 focused only on physical outcomes, as did a later work. 18Reviewers of the work suggested a lack of research on women's experience of this type of procedure. 19Other researchers have focused on specific aspects of breaking bad news in perinatal situations and the sequelae of such an action. Alkazaleh et al.20 surveyed 117 women with pregnancy complications detected sonographically. Sixty-seven women responded to their survey of broad characteristics of bad news transmission, reporting what women found helpful after being given bad news. These researchers recommend further research into the area of bad news transmission using other research designs....

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The object of this study was to develop a theory of the relationship between a mother and her unborn twins using a qualitative grounded theory methodology. Ten women participated in interviews during the last trimester of a twin pregnancy and again during the early postpartum period. Data provided by these women was analysed using the constant comparative method. Two additional informants were sampled in order to formulate and verify the tentative theory. For women in this study, the findings indicate that mothers form a relationship with their unborn twins within the wider context of accommodating the twin pregnancy in their lives. A woman accomplishes this process by immediately seeking information about twin pregnancy, by making room, in all senses, for two babies instead of one in her life, and by appraising her own pregnancy risk. A mother engages in self-protective behaviors and in behaviors designed to protect the health of her unborn twins as a method of coping with the perceived risk of the twin pregnancy and with the twin pregnancy itself. As the twin pregnancy progresses, women move toward accepting the idea of being pregnant with twins. For women pregnant with twins, the birth of two infants confirms the reality of the pregnancy.

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