Nurses and midwives\u2019 experiences of using non-pharmacological interventions for labour pain management: a qualitative study in Ghana

Edward Appiah Boateng,Linda Osaebea Kumi,Abigail Kusi-Amponsah Diji

doi:10.1186/s12884-019-2311-x

Abstract

BackgroundNon-pharmacological interventions hold promise in reducing labour pain, with minimal or no harm to the mother, foetus and the progress of labour and are simple and cost-effective. Yet their use has not been adequately explored in clinical settings, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsThis was a descriptive phenomenological study. Fifteen (15) nurses and midwives working in labour wards of two hospitals in Ghana were interviewed. Data analysis was guided by the principles of coding by Bailey and the constant comparative approach to generate themes. Ethics approval was obtained from the 37 Military Teaching Hospital Institutional Review Board in Ghana.ResultsThree major themes were identified that described the experiences of nurses and midwives regarding their use of non-pharmacological interventions in managing labour pain. These were familiarity with non-pharmacological interventions, perceived benefits of non-pharmacological interventions, and barriers to the use of non-pharmacological interventions in the management of labour pain.ConclusionsWhile some non-pharmacological pain management interventions were known and used by the nurses and midwives, they were not familiar with a good number of these interventions. Nurses and midwives perceived these interventions to be beneficial yet a number of barriers prevented easy utilisation.

Highlights

Non-pharmacological interventions hold promise in reducing labour pain, with minimal or no harm to the mother, foetus and the progress of labour and are simple and cost-effective
All participants provided an accurate explanation of non-pharmacological interventions for labour pain management
Nurses and midwives are familiar with some non-pharmacological labour pain management techniques and frequently use them in their practice

Summary

Introduction

Non-pharmacological interventions hold promise in reducing labour pain, with minimal or no harm to the mother, foetus and the progress of labour and are simple and cost-effective. Their use has not been adequately explored in clinical settings, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The use of pharmacological interventions for the management of labour pain has dominated the maternity care profession due to the efficacy of these measures in reducing pain in expectant mothers [9] These measures are relatively costly [10] and associated with adverse effects such as maternal nausea, vomiting, drowsiness [11], fever [12], headache, hypotension, urinary retention, nerve injury [13], and foetal respiratory. These drug techniques may be associated with increased risks of delayed second stage of labour, labour augmentation, instrumental delivery and caesarean section [15]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion