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.
Full access: http://mrw.so/wTk4s
Image by Emilie Lin, from Flickr-cc.
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