The participants’ views of childbirth education: is there congruency with an enablement framework for patient education?

Abstract

Although nursing research literature in the area of patient education is rich in number, methodologies used have limited generalizability and cohesiveness. Previous theoretical work has suggested an enablement framework for patient education across content areas. This study approaches patient education from the participant's view and engages the recipients in describing their goals for the process. Seven primiparous women taking childbirth education were asked about their reasons/goals for attending, anticipated roles and tasks during the birth process, and whether or not the educational experience assisted them in meeting their self goals. Semi-structured interviews were used, with each woman being interviewed three times, allowing comparison of data across time, and pre- and post-birth. Content categories were identified, and found to be consistent across time. Implications for practice and research are provided.

Prenatal Parental Education From the Perspective of Fathers With Experience as Primary Caregiver Immediately Following Birth: A Phenomenographic Study

“…This finding confirms results from other studies on childbirth education showing that parental education exclusively prepares for normal birth (Cliff & Deery, 1997;Stamler, 1998). Midwives in Sweden are responsible for normal birth, often in complex clinical settings.…”

Contemporary Women's Perceptions of Childbirth Education

“…They found that, through the classes, they not only gained the knowledge they had desired but also gained other benefits. Consistent with Stamler's (1998) findings, the women described how the classes had strengthened their relationships with their husbands, increased their confidence in themselves, and empowered them to have some control over a situation that was often out of their control.…”

“…All of the participants were married, Caucasian, spoke English, and had completed at least some college. Although homogeneous, the sample was characteristic of the childbirth education attendees reported in the literature (Koehn, 2002;Nichols & Gennaro, 2000;Sims-Jones et al, 1998;Spiby et al, 2003;Stamler, 1998) and in the researcher's setting.…”

“…Beginning in the early 1990s, a few descriptive studies of women's perceptions began to appear in the literature. Women reported wanting information on labor and birth (Koehn, 1992); on nursing care, breathing, medications, support, and control (Slaninka, Galbraith, Strzelecki, & Cockroft, 1996;Stamler, 1998); and on nutrition, fetal growth and development, infant care, and feeding (Beger & Beaman, 1996). Women also reported attending classes because their health-care provider invited them, because they wanted their husbands to participate, and because attending childbirth education classes was ''normal'' (Hallgren, Kihlgren, Norberg, & Forslin, 1995;Stamler, 1998).…”

Giving instruction on self-care during midwifery consultations in Japan

“…Previous studies have mainly focused on evaluating institutional education programs using a cognitive and motivational approach (Knowles, 1980;Rasmussen, 1989;Redman, 1993), utilizing primarily quantitative analyses that deal with conceptual variables like patient's knowledge and compliance. In the area of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN), research has dealt with teaching patients childbirth and child-rearing techniques (Stamler, 1997), in which patient education is recognized as a key element for providing quality medical care (Redman, 1993;Tilly, 1987). Research on patient-centered medicine suggests individually tailored teaching styles allow patients to administer self-care more effectively (Redman, 1993).…”