Exploring Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives of Childbirth Education Classes for Quality of Care and Positive Childbirth Experience: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is a significant transitional life experience that can be one of the most stressful experiences in life. Childbirth education is designed to improve health behaviors and offers information on psychological and physical changes that occur in pregnancy, signs that labor has begun, hospital routines and what to expect, how to manage pain through non-pharmacological strategies, the first hours of a newborn’s life, and the benefits of breastfeeding. Healthcare providers play an essential role in this education. To discover how healthcare providers view childbirth education classes, we explored their perceptions in relation to the quality of care and positive childbirth experiences. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological qualitative approach was conducted in three government hospitals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Data collection involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 15 participants. The sample consisted of physicians, nurses, and educators, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives. Results: An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted for data analysis. One core category (Road to a Pleasant and Safe Journey) with three themes (Mother’s Experience, Obstacles, and Struggles of Healthcare Providers, and Solutions & Suggestions) emerged from the data analysis. The study findings indicate that childbirth education programs boost maternal health and facilitate a more positive delivery experience. Conclusions: Receiving childbirth education about natural and instinctive childbirth was necessary for low-risk mothers to experience a positive childbirth experience. The education also enabled mothers to feel in control during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. From the results of this research the following recommendations can be made: childbirth education should be mandatory for all hospitals and primary healthcare institutions in the Kingdom and its curriculum should be standardized by the ministry of health and all healthcare providers employed in maternity care should be required to attend the standardized childbirth education programs.