“If I blink twice everything is OK” – A qualitative study of Swedish midwives’ strategies for supporting birthing women while working in full personal protective equipment

Abstract

ProblemMidwives all over the world have had to adapt to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue of how they managed to support birthing women, despite the use of PPE, has been insufficiently studied. BackgroundMidwives support birthing women in one of their most life-changing situations. Having COVID-19 at the time of childbirth makes birthing women even more vulnerable. PPE has been shown to impact the ability of providing support to birthing women. AimTo describe midwives’ strategies for supporting birthing women while working in full PPE MethodsA qualitative study based on focus group discussons with Swedish midwives. Data were analysed by inductive content analysis. FindingsTo support birthing women while in full PPE, the midwives adapted existing working methods, increased collaboration with colleagues, unveiled, adapted to the requirements for contagion prevention, addressed women’s concern for the midwife and maintained focus on the birth while remaining mindful of the risk of contagion. DiscussionMidwives adopted strategies in order to uphold provision of support to the birthing women, as well as to address contextual factors related to PPE that hinder provision of support. ConclusionThe respective effects of different PPE types and models on the birth experience should be explored. Explicit strategies for supporting birthing women while working in full PPE must be created and discussed among midwives.