Informational continuity approaches during birth within primary health care settings in the Western Cape : experiences of midwives

Date
2023-03
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) framework on integrated people-centered health services focus on continuity and coordination of care in primary health care settings. This framework includes informational continuity as an approach to reach universal health coverage. According to the WHO, continuity of care includes four approaches, namely informational, interpersonal, longitudinal and management continuity. Informational continuity during birth is a critical factor in the prevention of maternal morbidity and mortality and the reduction of duplication of services and fragmentation of care. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of midwives regarding informational continuity approaches used while providing maternity care for pregnant women in maternity obstetric units (MOUs) in the Tygerberg subdistrict of the Cape Town Metropole in the Western Cape, South Africa. Methods: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study approach was used to explore the lived experiences of midwives in MOUs regarding informational continuity approaches during birth. Purposive sampling was used to select participants from two MOUs in the Western Cape. Prior to data collection, approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University and the Department of Health of the Western Cape. Eleven semi- structured online interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological analytical approach. Findings: The following themes emerged: Theme one: The communication of midwives with pregnant women. Theme two: The communication between midwives and other health care providers. Theme three: Documentation during birth. Theme four: The use of standardised clinical guidelines. The findings revealed that midwives effectuated positive patient-provider relationships by providing women with prompt communication and building good relationships. The continuous communication among midwives and with other health care providers ensured collective memory among the health care providers since all the health care providers had the same information regarding the women in their care. The midwives made use of synchronised care records that included the maternity case record (MCR), the partogram and the identify, situation, background, assessment and recommendation (ISBAR) tool to communicate effectively. Standardised clinical guidelines were used to facilitate standardised maternity care. The challenges identified were challenges in communication with the women due to language barriers and women not bringing their MCR with to the MOUs. Communication challenges among midwives and with other health care providers identified were incomplete documentation, inaccessible records and incomplete handover of information during handover rounds and referrals. Recommendations included, to allow women to bring their own interpreter to the MOUs, regular in-service training for staff on communication and recordkeeping skills and regular training for midwives on clinical guidelines. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that overcoming the challenges in communication in the MOUs would ensure that informational continuity is accomplished through effective communication among the midwives and with other health care providers and the pregnant women in the MOUs. Hence, informational continuity during birth is an integral component of providing quality maternity care in MOUs.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agtergrond: Die Wereldgesondheidsorganisasie (WGO) se raamwerk vir geintegreerde mensgesentreerde gesondheidsdienste fokus op kontinuiteit en koordinering van sorg in primere gesondheidsorginstellings. Hierdie raamwerk sluit informatiewe kontinuiteit in as 'n benadering om universele gesondheidsdekking te bereik. Volgens die WGO sluit kontinuiteit van sorg vier benaderings in, naamlik informatiewe, interpersoonlike, longitudinale en bestuurskontinuiteit. Informatiewe kontinuiteit tydens geboorte is 'n kritieke faktor in die voorkoming van moederlike morbiditeit en mortaliteit en die vermindering van duplisering van dienste en fragmentasie van sorg. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die ervarings van vroedvroue te ondersoek rakende informatiewe kontinuiteitsbenaderings wat gebruik is tydens die verskaffing van kraamsorg vir swanger vroue in kraam-verloskundige eenhede (MOU's) in die Tygerberg-subdistrik van die Kaapstad Metropool in die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Metodes: 'n Kwalitatiewe beskrywende fenomenologiese studiebenadering is gebruik om die geleefde ervarings van vroedvroue in MOU's rakende informatiewe kontinuiteitsbenaderings tydens geboorte te ondersoek. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om deelnemers uit twee MOUs in die Wes-Kaap te kies. Vir data-insameling is goedkeuring verkry van die Gesondheidsnavorsingsetiekkomitee van die Universiteit Stellenbosch en die Departement van Gesondheid van die Wes-Kaap. Elf semigestruktureerde aanlyn onderhoude is gevoer, getranskribeer en ontleed aan die hand van Giorgi se fenomenologiese analitiese benadering. Bevindinge: Die volgende temas het na vore gekom: Tema een: Die kommunikasie van vroedvroue met swanger vroue. Tema twee: Die kommunikasie tussen vroedvroue en ander gesondheidsorgverskaffers. Tema drie: Dokumentasie tydens geboorte. Tema vier: Die gebruik van gestandaardiseerde kliniese riglyne. Die bevindings het aan die lig gebring dat vroedvroue positiewe verhoudings tussen pasiente en verskaffers bewerkstellig het deur vroue vinnige kommunikasie te gee en goeie verhoudings te bou. Die deurlopende kommunikasie tussen vroedvroue en met ander gesondheidsorgverskaffers het kollektiewe geheue onder die gesondheidsorgverskaffers verseker, aangesien al die gesondheidsorgverskaffers dieselfde inligting oor die vroue in hul sorg. Die vroedvroue het gebruik gemaak van gesinchroniseerde sorg rekords wat die kraamgevallerekord (MCR), die partogram en die identifiseer-, situasie-, agtergrond-, assesserings- en aanbevelinginstrument (ISBAR) insluit om effektief te kommunikeer. Gestandaardiseerde kliniese riglyne is gebruik om gestandaardiseerde kliniese riglyne is gebruik om gestandaardiseerde kraamsorg te fasiliteer. Die uitdagings wat geidentifiseer is, was uitdagings in kommunikasie met die vroue weens taalhindernisse en vroue wat nie hul MCR saamgebring het na die MOU's nie. Kommunikasie-uitdagings onder vroedvroue en met ander gesondheidsorgverskaffers wat geidentifiseer is, was onvolledige dokumentasie, ontoeganklike rekords en onvolledige oorhandiging van inligting tydens oorhandigingsrondtes en verwysings. Gevolgtrekking Die bevindings het getoon dat die oorkoming van die uitdagings in kommunikasie in die MOU's sal verseker dat inligtingskontinuiteit bewerkstellig word deur effektiewe kommunikasie tussen die vroedvroue en met ander gesondheidsorgverskaffers en die swanger vroue in die MOU's. Daarom is informatiewe kontinuiteit tydens geboorte 'n integrale komponent van die verskaffing van kwaliteit kraamsorg in MOU's. Aanbevelings sluit in, om vroue in staat te stel om hul eie tolk na die MOU's te bring, gereelde indiensopleiding vir personeel oor kommunikasie- en rekordhoudingsvaardighede en gereelde opleiding vir vroedvroue oor kliniese riglyne.
Description
Thesis (MNur)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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