Expecting parents’ perceptions of the digital parental support “childbirth journey” constructed as a serious game—an intervention study

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to explore expecting parents’ perceptions of the Childbirth Journey as an intervention that includes medical information for parental support, constructed as a serious game. Methods In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were held with expecting parents in Sweden who were able to talk about specific parts of the Childbirth Journey they appreciated or found difficult to understand. A phenomenographic methodology was employed for data analysis. Results Participants perceived the Childbirth Journey to be easily accessible and customized with reliable information. The design and features of the intervention were perceived by the expecting parents to enhance the intervention’s usability, appeal, and trustworthiness. When parental couples used the Childbirth Journey together, it gave them an opportunity to discuss and better understand each other’s situation. The participants proposed several changes to the existing version of the game, mostly related to extending practical information and illustrated scenarios but also to the further development of the game’s design and animations. The participants found the Knowledge portal to be the most appealing part of the Childbirth Journey. Conclusions The Childbirth Journey intervention was concluded to be a valuable digital complement to in-person professional support, especially given the current COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in place in Sweden, which do not allow antenatal visits by partners. However, in its current form, the Childbirth Journey has some deficiencies and would therefore benefit from further development and exploration.

Healthcare professionals' perceptions of a digital parental support, Childbirth Journey, constructed as a serious game—An intervention study

“…The importance of professional support in facilitating the improvement of parents' knowledge and preparation has been asserted in several research studies ( 19 ), and, according to our findings, healthcare professionals consider Childbirth Journey to be a promising future complement to regular professional support in antenatal, labour and postnatal care. This finding is in line with research on parents’ perceptions of Childbirth Journey which conclude it is a valuable digital complement to in-personal professional support ( 13 ), and meets the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare's call for antenatal care to offer alternative forms of support to parents, such as digital educational materials ( 7 ).…”

“…The intervention in this study, Childbirth Journey, is planned for development in two steps. In the first step, parents ( 13 ) and healthcare professionals (current study) use the intervention and exploration on their perceptions of it is included. In the second step, further developments of the Childbirth Journey intervention will be performed based on the research findings from the first step.…”

“…These films can also be accessed directly through the Knowledge Portal, as described below. In addition, in the story-driven game, different weblinks to external websites appear depending on the choices made by the player to provide the user with access to additional information [for more details, please see ( 13 )].…”

“…The Knowledge Portal provides information regarding pregnancy and labour, i.e., the female body during and after pregnancy, pain relief, breathing techniques, breastfeeding and formula, baby care, the parental role, parental leave, and the parental couple relationship. In addition, the films included in the story-driven game are also traceable through the Knowledge Portal [for more information on the Knowledge Portal , please see ( 13 )].…”

“…When played together—i.e., by both members of the parental couple— Childbirth Journey could facilitate mutual understanding and stimulate productive discussions. However, several changes to the existing version of Childbirth Journey were proposed by parents, mostly due to the game's design and animations ( 13 ).…”