The quality of life of women in puerperium – the introduction of the mother-generated index (MGI) questionnaire

Abstract

The period of puerperium is a critical and transformational period in the life of every woman, newborn and new family on a physical, psychological and social level. Study design: Descriptive review study. Goal: The goal of this article is to present the Mother-Generated Index questionnaire, which could be used in the community practice of midwives while nursing women in puerperium. Methods: We used a content document analysis. The documents were searched for in scientific databases, such as EBSCOhost, Science Direct, Pro Quest, Nursing Ovid, Google Scholar, PubMed or Scopus. The search and the processing of available studies were carried out from February to April 2018. The final selection included eight studies that met the criteria. Conclusions: The Mother-Generated Index questionnaire resulted as a valid tool which described the subjectively perceived quality of life of women in puerperium and used mixed sets of methods. It is possible to use it in a trans-cultural environment as well. The questionnaire was translated into Czech in 2014, but the research results of its use in women in puerperium are waiting to be published.