Aims: To understand the perspectives of both healthcare professionals in maternity care and pregnant women with higher risk pregnancies about remote monitoring in maternity care.
Design: Qualitative descriptive design.
Methods: Individual and focus group interviews were conducted in public maternity care and in a level III hospital in Finland during April-May 2018. The sample consisted of healthcare professionals working in the primary care and at the hospital and hospitalized pregnant women. Altogether, 17 healthcare professionals and 4 pregnant women participated in the study. The data were analysed using inductive thematic network analysis.
Results: Many possibilities - and an equal number of concerns - were identified regarding remote monitoring in pregnancy, depending on the respondent's viewpoint from holistic to symptom-centred care. Healthcare staff had reservations about technology due to previous negative experiences and difficulties trusting technology. The pregnant women thought that monitoring would ease the staff's workload if the latter had enough technological skills. Remote monitoring could increase security in pregnancy care but create a feeling of false security if the women ignored their subjective symptoms. Face-to-face visits and the uniqueness of human contact were strongly favoured. Pregnant women wished to use monitoring as a confirmation of their subjective feelings.
Conclusion: Remote monitoring could be used as a supplementary system in pregnancy care, although it could replace only some healthcare visits. Pregnant women identified more possibilities for remote monitoring compared with the staff members both in primary care and the hospital.
Impact: A comprehensive understanding of pregnant women's and healthcare professionals' perceptions of remote monitoring in pregnancy was built to be able to develop new technologies in maternity care. In certain cases, remote monitoring would supplement traditional pregnancy follow-ups. Staff in primary and specialized care, and healthcare managers, should support teamwork to be able to understand different approaches to pregnancy care.
目的: 了解妇产科医护人员和高危妊娠孕妇对远程监护的看法。 设计: 定性描述设计。 方法: 在2018年4月至5月期间,在芬兰公立产科医院和三级医院进行了个人和焦点小组访谈。访谈样本包括有初级保健医疗专家、医院医护人员和住院孕妇的访谈。共有17名医护人员和4名孕妇参与此项研究。采用归纳法对数据进行分析。 结果: 根据被调查者对整体护理和针对症状的护理的观点,在妊娠期远程监护方面确定了许多可能性,也确定了有同样数量的问题。由于之前的负面经历和对技术的不信任,医护人员仍对技术持保留态度。孕妇们认为,如果工作人员有足够的技术技能,监测工作将会减轻工作人员的工作量。远程监控可以增加孕期护理的安全性,但如果孕妇忽视其主观症状,就会导致产生一种虚假的安全性。面对面地访问和不可替代的人类接触受到强烈支持。孕妇希望通过监测来确认其主观感受。 结论: 尽管远程监护只能代替部分医疗访问,也可以用作妊娠护理的辅助系统。比起初级护理和医院工作人员,孕妇发现了更多的远程监控的可能性。 影响: 全面了解孕妇和保健专业人员对妊娠期远程监控的看法,有助于开发产科护理的新技术。在某些情况下,远程监控可以补充传统的妊娠随访。初级和专业护理的工作人员,以及卫生保健管理人员,应该支持团队合作,以便能够理解不同的怀孕护理方法。.
Keywords: focus groups; maternity care; midwives; obstetric care; obstetricians; pregnancy; public health nurses; remote monitoring; technology.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.