Mothers’ experiences in the Nurse-Family Partnership program: a qualitative case study

Abstract

BackgroundFew studies have explored the experiences of low income mothers participating in nurse home visiting programs. Our study explores and describes mothers' experiences participating in the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) Program, an intensive home visiting program with demonstrated effectiveness, from the time of program entry before 29 weeks gestation until their infant's first birthday.MethodsA qualitative case study approach was implemented. A purposeful sample of 18 low income, young first time mothers participating in a pilot study of the NFP program in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada partook in one to two face to face in-depth interviews exploring their experiences in the program. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Conventional content analysis procedures were used to analyze all interviews. Data collection and initial analysis were implemented concurrently.ResultsThe mothers participating in the NFP program were very positive about their experiences in the program. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: 1. Getting into the NFP program; 2. The NFP nurse is an expert, but also like a friend providing support; and 3. Participating in the NFP program is making me a better parent.ConclusionsOur findings provide vital information to home visiting nurses and to planners of home visiting programs about mothers' perspectives on what is important to them in their relationships with their nurses, how nurses and women are able to develop positive therapeutic relationships, and how nurses respond to mothers' unique life situations while home visiting within the NFP Program. In addition our findings offer insights into why and under what circumstances low income mothers will engage in nurse home visiting and how they expect to benefit from their participation.

The challenges of communicating research evidence in practice: perspectives from UK health visitors and practice nurses

“…The therapeutic relationship is often said to be at the heart of effective nursing practice and involves using a patient-centred approach to build respect and trust between the patient and the practitioner [26,50-52]. Commonly, our participants recognised that developing trust and a non-directive approach were essential components of communicating evidence effectively with their patients.…”

Health care and social service professionals' perceptions of a home-visit program for young, first-time mothers

“…In-depth investigations suggest that public health nurses (PHNs) in Canada, as well as the clients receiving the intervention and their families, consider NFP model elements and home visits acceptable. [21][22][23][24] However, the perspective of health care and social service professionals who provide the NFP have not been explored. Our study addressed this gap by examining the factors that influence the acceptability of home visitation programs among health care and social service professionals.…”

Editorial – The Nurse–Family Partnership: evidence-based public health in response to child maltreatment

“…Previous research focussed on the impact of the program on public health nurses 12 and the experiences of the mothers involved in the program. 13 Child protection workers are the source of referral for enrolment in the NFP, while the nurses who administer the program are mandated to report to child protection if they suspect child maltreatment in the families they serve. Collaboration is paramount in this complex relationship.…”