A Threat to Patient Safety?

The mobile phone (cellular phone) was developed in the 1950s, but became accessible to and popular with the general population in Norway in the 1990s. It has changed our society as well as our way of communicating. According to research data, seven out of every ten persons in Norway possess a smartphone.

However, the use of mobile phones related to social media in the maternity ward is a relatively new phenomenon and has been frequently discussed in the Norwegian media. In this study, the authors conducted a study to examine aspects of communication in the maternity ward including midwives’ perceptions of parents’ use of mobile phones in order to answer the research question: Is the use of mobile phones in the maternity ward a threat to patient safety? 

Two focus group interviews exploring midwives’ perceptions (n = 10) of parent’s use of mobile phones during and after the birth were conducted in January 2016. Systematic text condensation was used to analyze the data, revealing three themes pertaining to safety concerns: 1) interrupted communication due to parents’ excessive use of mobile phones during labour and postnatally, 2) unsafe care caused by lack of attention to the newborn baby’s signals as a result of being disturbed by the mobile phone; 3) unsafe care because of parents interrupting their conversation with the midwife by answering the mobile, acting in a disrespectful manner and failing to pay attention. The midwives’ descriptions of parents’ use of mobile phones in the maternity ward included reflections on mobile phone usage as a permanent phenomenon. They were concerned that parents’ use of mobile phones in the maternity ward could negatively affect the attachment process and considered that it interrupted their work.

In conclusion, there is a need for increased awareness of parents’ use of mobile phones in the maternity ward. Further research is required to gain greater insight into the consequences of mobile phone use in order to promote patient safety by ensuring effective communication between parents and midwives. In addition, research is needed to explore the safety discourse, clinical risks and/or health problems involved in the development of infant-parent attachment in newborn babies.

Article by Bente Dahl, et al, from Norway.

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