Abstract
Understanding the main values and beliefs that might promote humanized birth practices in the specialized hospitals requires articulating the theoretical knowledge of the social and cultural characteristics of the childbirth field and the relations between these and the institution. This paper aims to provide a conceptual framework allowing examination of childbirth practices through the lens of an organizational culture theory. A literature review performed to extrapolate the social and cultural factors contribute to birth practices and the factors likely overlap and mutually reinforce one another, instead of complying with the organizational culture of the birth place. The proposed conceptual framework in this paper examined childbirth patterns as an organizational cultural phenomenon in a highly specialized hospital, in Montreal, Canada. Allaire and Firsirotu’s organizational culture theory served as a guide in the development of the framework. We discussed the application of our conceptual model in understanding the influences of organizational culture components in the humanization of birth practices in the highly specialized hospitals and explained how these components configure both the birth practice and women’s choice in highly specialized hospitals. The proposed framework can be used as a tool for understanding the barriers and facilitating factors encountered birth practices in specialized hospitals.
Highlights
The use of medical interventions such as epidural analgesia, electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), and induction of labor has dramatically increased in recent years in Canada
This paper aims to provide a conceptual framework allowing examination of childbirth practices in specialized hospitals through the lens of organizational culture
The findings of this study revealed that the participants did not consider the use of technology and medical intervention as opposing the concept of humanized birth care
Summary
The use of medical interventions such as epidural analgesia, electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), and induction of labor has dramatically increased in recent years in Canada. The women participants in the studied highly specialized hospital appreciated the technocratic approach to childbirth and even perceived it as a form of humanized birth care, because technology enhanced their feelings of security, assurance, and provided them with a pain-free birth. The establishment and practice of the humanized birth care model in a highly specialized hospital is a much greater goal than simplistic opposition to the medicalized birth care model and the technological supremacy associated with it Empowering women throughout their pregnancy and childbirth, providing psychological supports to high-risk mothers [12], modifying the rules and regulations of institutions to provide more continuity of care, evolving the mechanisms of budget allocation to hospitals, and proposing closer cooperation and better communication between the different professional levels are all important factors that could promote the organization of care with regard to a humanized birth care approach in highly specialized hospitals. The conceptual framework is applicable for examining humanized birth practices in all hospitals regardless of their level of specialty
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
