Communication between healthcare professionals and parturients during the childbirth experience: a mixed-methods study

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: to analyze the communication between healthcare professionals and parturients during the childbirth experience from the perspective of women. METHODS: this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was conducted with postpartum women in a teaching maternity hospital. The first phase (quantitative) involved a descriptive analysis of 265 responses from the Mother-Baby Friendly Birthing Facilities Thermometer. In the second phase (qualitative), 44 interviews were conducted with postpartum women. Descriptive and content analysis, using a thematic approach, was applied. RESULTS: data analysis and integration identified limitations in information transmission, a lack of understanding, and restricted autonomy in decision-making processes. Information was conveyed by the healthcare team in an authoritative manner. However, discharge instructions were well understood. CONCLUSIONS: communication between healthcare professionals and parturients during the childbirth experience is shaped by power dynamics, underscoring the need to reconsider communication as an essential component of maternal care.