Labor Experience Research Articles

The top 10 research priorities in diabetes and pregnancy according to women, support networks and healthcare professionals.

AimsTo undertake a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) to establish priorities for future research in diabetes and pregnancy, according to women with experience of pregnancy, and planning pregnancy, with any type of diabetes, their support networks and healthcare professionals.MethodsThe PSP used established James Lind Alliance (JLA) methodology working with women and their support networks and healthcare professionals UK‐wide. Unanswered questions about the time before, during or after pregnancy with any type of diabetes were identified using an online survey and broad‐level literature search. A second survey identified a shortlist of questions for final prioritisation at an online consensus development workshop.ResultsThere were 466 responses (32% healthcare professionals) to the initial survey, with 1161 questions, which were aggregated into 60 unanswered questions. There were 614 responses (20% healthcare professionals) to the second survey and 18 questions shortlisted for ranking at the workshop. The top 10 questions were: diabetes technology, the best test for diabetes during pregnancy, diet and lifestyle interventions for diabetes management during pregnancy, emotional and well‐being needs of women with diabetes pre‐ to post‐pregnancy, safe full‐term birth, post‐natal care and support needs of women, diagnosis and management late in pregnancy, prevention of other types of diabetes in women with gestational diabetes, women's labour and birth experiences and choices and improving planning pregnancy.ConclusionsThese research priorities provide guidance for research funders and researchers to target research in diabetes and pregnancy that will achieve greatest value and impact.

Women\u2019s expectations and experiences of labor induction \u2013 a questionnaire-based analysis of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAlthough labor induction is a commonly used procedure in obstetrical care, there are limited data on its psycho-emotional effects on the woman. This study analysed the expectations and experiences of women in different routes of labor induction. The study’s primary aim was to compare women’s delivery experience if induced by orally administrated misoprostol (OMS) compared with misoprostol vaginal insert (MVI). Secondly, an evaluation of women’s general satisfaction with induced labor was made, and factors associated with a negative experience.MethodsPrimiparous women (n = 196) with a singleton fetus in cephalic presentation, ≥ 37 weeks of gestation, with a Bishop’s score ≤ 4 planning labor induction were randomly allocated to receive either OMS (Cytotec®) or MVI (Misodel®). Data were collected by validated questionnaires, the Wijma Delivery Expectation/Experience Questionnaire (A + B). The pre-labor part of the survey (W-DEQ version A) was given to participants to complete within 1 hour before the start of induction, and the post-labor part of the questionnaire (W-DEQ version B) was administered after birth and collected before the women were discharged from hospital.ResultsIt was found that 11.8% (17/143) reported a severe fear of childbirth (W-DEQ A score ≥ 85). Before the induction, women with extreme fear had 3.7 times increased risk of experiencing labor induction negatively (OR 3.7 [95% CI, 1.04–13.41]).ConclusionNo difference was identified between OMS and MVI when delivery experience among women induced to labor was analysed. Severe fear of childbirth before labor was a risk factor for a negative experience of labor induction.Trial registrationClinical trial register number NCT02918110. Date of registration on May 31, 2016.

Mitigating Burnout Through Organizational Justice: Customer Support Workers’ Experiences of Customer Injustice and Emotional Labor

Employee burnout is a critical organizational concern that can be prevalent among customer support workers whose day-to-day tasks inherently include emotional labor. This study examines emotional labor and burnout among call center workers in customer service industries, specifically focusing on the influences of injustices from customers and supervisors. The findings demonstrate that: (a) customer injustice was associated with an increase in emotional labor, which in turn exacerbated customer support workers’ disengagement and exhaustion; (b) interpersonal justice perceived in the interactions with supervisors was negatively associated with disengagement; and (c) procedural justice perceived in supervisors’ decision-making processes was also negatively associated with disengagement. The findings indicate the mitigating role of interpersonal and procedural justice in reducing burnout among customer support workers.

Birth companionship in a government health system: a pilot study in Kigoma, Tanzania

BackgroundHaving a companion of choice throughout childbirth is an important component of good quality and respectful maternity care for women and has become standard in many countries. However, there are only a few examples of birth companionship being implemented in government health systems in low-income countries. To learn if birth companionship was feasible, acceptable and led to improved quality of care in these settings, we implemented a pilot project using 9 intervention and 6 comparison sites (all government health facilities) in a rural region of Tanzania.MethodsThe pilot was developed and implemented in Kigoma, Tanzania between July 2016 and December 2018. Women delivering at intervention sites were given the choice of having a birth companion with them during childbirth. We evaluated the pilot with: (a) project data; (b) focus group discussions; (c) structured and semi-structured interviews; and (d) service statistics.ResultsMore than 80% of women delivering at intervention sites had a birth companion who provided support during childbirth, including comforting women and staying by their side. Most women interviewed at intervention sites were very satisfied with having a companion during childbirth (96–99%). Most women at the intervention sites also reported that the presence of a companion improved their labor, delivery and postpartum experience (82–97%). Health providers also found companions very helpful because they assisted with their workload, alerted the provider about changes in the woman’s status, and provided emotional support to the woman. When comparing intervention and comparison sites, providers at intervention sites were significantly more likely to: respond to women who called for help (p = 0.003), interact in a friendly way (p < 0.001), greet women respectfully (p < 0.001), and try to make them more comfortable (p = 0.003). Higher proportions of women who gave birth at intervention sites reported being “very satisfied” with the care they received (p < 0.001), and that the staff were “very kind” (p < 0.001) and “very encouraging” (p < 0.001).ConclusionBirth companionship was feasible and well accepted by health providers, government officials and most importantly, women who delivered at intervention facilities. The introduction of birth companionship improved women’s experience of birth and the maternity ward environment overall.

COVID-19 in Rural India, Algeria, and Morocco: A Feminist Analysis of Small-Scale Farmers' and Agricultural Laborers' Experiences and Inventive Practices

In this paper we present a situated analysis of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the life of small-scale farmers and agricultural laborers in India, Algeria, and Morocco. We draw on data collected through phone interviews since April 2020. Inspired by feminist scholars, we analyze our findings thinking with—and entangling—the concepts of intersectionality, resilience and care. We firstly document the material impacts of the lockdown measures, focusing particularly on the experiences of single women farmers and laborers, whose livelihood and well-being have been notably compromised. Secondly, we unfold how different agricultural actors have come up with inventive ways to respond to the unexpected situation which they are facing. In doing so, we highlight the importance of considering the multiple and entangled socionatural challenges, uncertainties, and marginalizations that different agricultural actors experience, as well as the transformative potential of their inventive practices, which are often motivated and informed by notions of care.

A Role for RAGE in DNA Double Strand Breaks (DSBs) Detected in Pathological Placentas and Trophoblast Cells.

Impaired DNA damage responses are associated with several diseases, including pregnancy complications. Recent research identified an ATM-kinase dependent function for the nuclear isoform of the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) during double strand break (DSB)-repair. RAGE contributes to end-resectioning of broken DNA sites by binding with the MRE11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) complex. Placental research is limited regarding the impact of genomic instability and the mechanism for potential repair. We tested the hypothesis regarding the involvement of RAGE during the repair of placental DNA-DSBs. We first identified that the pregnancy complications of PE and preterm labor (PTL) experience loss of genomic integrity and an in vitro trophoblast cell model was used to characterize trophoblast DSBs. Colocalized immunofluorescence of γ-H2AX and RAGE support the potential involvement of RAGE in cellular responses to DNA-DSBs. Immunoblotting for both molecules in PE and PTL placenta samples and in trophoblast cells validated a connection. Co-immunoprecipitation studies revealed interactions between RAGE and pATM and MRE11 during DNA-DSBs. Reduced cellular invasion confirmed the role of genomic instability in trophoblastic function. Collectively, these experiments identified genomic instability in pregnancy complications, the impact of defective DNA on trophoblast function, and a possible RAGE-mediated mechanism during DNA-DSB repair.

New Jerusalems? The Labour Party's Economic Policy‐Making in Hard Times

AbstractThis paper is an historical analysis of ideational change in the British Labour Party. It briefly examines two critical phases of economic policy formation: the aftermath of the Great Depression and the MacDonald administration's implosion in 1931 until the outbreak of the Second World War; alongside Labour's experience following the 2008 financial crisis and electoral defeat in 2010 through to Jeremy Corbyn's emergence as leader. Throughout both periods, the aftershocks of financial crises stimulated a ferment of new thinking about the management of the British economy. Think tanks, universities and professionally trained economists aided the left in devising a new economic narrative and programme. For all the criticism of Corbyn's performance as leader, it was only after his victory in 2015 that a serious debate about ideas emerged within the party, more than seven years since the great financial crisis.

Introduction: Corbynism and its Aftermath

Introduction: Corbynism and its Aftermath

Hiding for Survival: Highlighting the Lived Experiences of Precarity and Labour Abuse Among Filipino Non-status Migrants in Canada.

Non-status migrants are individuals who do not hold a valid immigration document or official status to stay in Canada. This paper presents a case study on the experiences of non-status migrants seeking access to health, social, and community services. Through interviews with five non-status migrants, the authors explore the specific needs, rights, services and barriers they encountered. Our findings highlight five case-based themes that centre on the (1) undocumented and hidden costs of striving for status, (2) aspirations to stay in Canada, (3) navigation through the everyday struggles to survive, (4) acts of selflessness and (5) resistance against the stigmatisation of being labelled a non-status migrant. Despite their fear of exposure to professionals, non-status participants express willingness to utilise services in the community. However, there is considerable paucity of information about the resources that they could access freely and without risk. This paper offers key recommendations for social work practitioners who engage in social justice and advocacy work alongside non-status migrants in Canada.

How A Cold Sitz Bath Versus Infrared Therapy Can Remove the Pain of Postpartum Perineal Wounds

&lt;p&gt;Women who suffer perineal trauma in spontaneous labor experience pain and edema as the most common problems on the first day after delivery. Impaired mobility and a limited ability to carry out daily activities will affect the mother-baby bond. The study of the cold sitz bath intervention and infrared treatment aims to find out how these interventions can overcome the pain of perineal wounds in postpartum mothers. A quasi-experimental design was used to assess both interventions for treating pain in perineal trauma at the Madina Clinic and Sundari Hospital. The sample consisted of 40 mothers, 20 in the cold sitz bath (intervention group) and 20 in the infrared therapy (control group). Pain was measured using a numerical scale from day one to day three of the postpartum period and then the data were analyzed using the paired t-test statistical test. The results of this study revealed that the cold sitz bath hydrotherapy had a significant effect in reducing pain (p = 0.004), as well as infrared therapy (0.008). Although on the third day of the postpartum period, infrared therapy did not significantly reduce the pain level; several other factors could contribute to the significant differences in pain intensity reduction such as comfort, convenience, and the economic value of the intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt; &lt;/p&gt;

Precarity's reach: intersections of history, life, and labour in the Australian horticultural industry

AbstractThe temporary labour migrations of Pacific Islanders to work in the orchards and packing sheds of the Australian horticultural industry feed the demands for flexible labour that are marks of the precarious present. At the same time, their labour experiences call attention to the diverse, historically situated, and racialized configurations of power and risk that converge in the present moment within particular places and within the intersecting lives and bodies of differently positioned others. Focused on a fruit packing shed in north‐central Victoria, and on the ni‐Vanuatu workers, farmers, managers, and mediating agents who meet there, this article seeks to develop an ethnography of precarity's intersections. Here, the insecurities and fraying reciprocities widely theorized in the context of post‐Fordist, neoliberal precarity articulate with the hierarchies and imaginaries of development regimes, the colonial co‐production of Global North and South, and the always‐precarious rhythms of horticultural production. Precarity, I argue, is neither particular to the post‐Fordist relations of Western Europe, nor an all‐consuming leveller of historical, cultural, and place‐based difference. Rather, it emerges out of the situated convergences of diverse people and histories, and practices of both mobility and containment, producing intersecting but ultimately unequal distributions of risk.

Obstetrics and birth: effects of experiences and gender bias on student test scores

Objectives: Paramedic education requires all students have the experience of attending childbirth. Obstetric (OB) experiences are limited for students in hospitals and even more so in the field. Gender bias may exist in hospital OB rotations for paramedic students but research on this is limited. This study is intended to examine whether a sex bias exists in field or hospital placements and if that bias correlates to OB test scores. Methods: Using data from Fisdap, numbers of OB experiences were analysed and compared to individual student sex and experience type (hospital clinical, field or skills laboratory). The number of experiences were compared to that student's score on the OB section of the Fisdap paramedic readiness examinations version 3 (PRE3) or version 4 (PRE4). Results: Of 12 090 paramedic students, male (n=5625) and female (n=2682) students who took the PRE3 had equal average scores of 0.76 and male (n=2498) and female (n=1285) students who took the PRE4 had average scores of 0.77 and 0.79 respectively. Students who took the PRE3 saw a mean of 4.32 births, a majority of which were in hospital (3.68); there was minimal difference in experiences between male and female students in field or skills laboratory settings, but women saw more births in hospital settings (3.92) than men (3.43). Students who took the PRE4 saw a mean of 4.54 births, a majority of which were in hospital (3.8) and there was minimal difference in experiences between male and female students in field or laboratory settings but women students saw more births in hospital (4.06) than men (3.54). Conclusions There is no correlation between the number of OB emergency encounters by paramedic students and their OB test scores. However, a potential gender bias exists as female students tend to have more labour and birth experiences in hospital settings than their male counterparts, while number of experiences in lab and field settings were similar.

Socioeconomic factors affecting profitability of seaweed culture in Saint Martin Island of Bangladesh

Seaweed culture provides financial benefits and creates employment opportunity for coastal inhabitants of Bangladesh. This study was conducted to assess profitability and to determine the socioeconomic factors that affect the profitability of seaweed culture in the coastal region. Primary data were collected from 33 seaweed farmers for the study. The data were collected during the period of March 15 to March 31, 2018 through direct interviews and observation using a semi structured questionnaire and a check list. Both tabular and functional analyses were used to achieve the objectives of the study. It is evident from the study that seaweed culture is a profitable business. The total per square-meter cost of seaweed production was Tk. 1520 with a gross return of Tk. 2801.4 and net return was estimated at Tk. 1281.4 with a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) 1.82. To estimate the contribution of different inputs on seaweed production through Cobb-Douglas production function, the explanatory variables considered were: bamboo cost, rope cost, human labour cost, repairing cost, age, experience, training, education and number of family members. Among these variables, labour and training were found positively significant at 1 percent level of significance with the regression coefficient of 0.209 and 0.556, respectively. This indicates that seaweed culture might be brought economic benefits of the community if they received more training and employ more labour. Therefore, policy should be focused on creating appropriate training arrangement and skilled labour to the coastal community for getting higher benefit. Seaweed farmers think that seaweed culture can be adopted as an alternative livelihood option if the government and other stakeholders help them with necessary supports for seaweed culture.&#x0D; Progressive Agriculture 31 (3): 227-234, 2020

찾아가는 동주민센터 방문간호사의 감정노동경험

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the emotional labor experiences of home visiting nurses in reaching-out community centers focusing on place and gender. Methods: Ten home visiting nurses in Seoul were recruited for the study. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews. Results: First, the change of place is not simply a spatial change from the healthcare institution to the home. The spatial change affects the mission, or role, of the home visiting nurse, and there are also expectations and attitudes about home visiting nurses. During this kind of change, gender specific sociocultural norms and stereotypes affect the emotional labor of home visiting nurses. Second, gender is related to ignorance and violence faced by home visiting nurses. This type of experience increases the emotional labor of theses nurses. Partial amelioration of the working environment cannot solve this situation. Conclusion: This study suggests that institutional and sociocultural changes are needed, in order to transform the asymmetric inter-relationship between home visiting nurses and citizens into an equal inter-relationship.

Analisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi pendapatan pedagang pengecer daging babi di kota Tomohon

This study aims to analyze the factors that influence the total income of pig meat retailers in Tomohon City. The sample locations in the Beriman Market in Tomohon City, were determined using the purposive sampling method, based on the consideration that Pasar Beriman is the largest traditional market in Tomohon City, and has pig meat retailers. The sample is determined using a total quota sampling technique of 30 people who are active as retailers. The analysis model used to estimate the factors that influence retailers' income is the multiple linear regression equation model in the form of natural logarithms. The results showed that the factors affecting the income of pig meat retailers in Tomohon City were the amount of meat, price, capital, labor and business experience.

Client-care provider interaction during labour and birth as experienced by women: Respect, communication, confidentiality and autonomy.

Respectful Maternity Care is important for achieving a positive labour and birth experience. Client-care provider interaction-specifically respect, communication, confidentiality and autonomy-is an important aspect of Respectful Maternity Care. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to assess Dutch women's experience of respect, communication, confidentiality and autonomy during labour and birth and (2) to identify which client characteristics are associated with experiencing optimal respect, communication, confidentiality and autonomy. Pregnant women and women who recently gave birth in the Netherlands were recruited to fill out a validated web-based questionnaire (ReproQ). Mean scores per domain (scale 1-4) were calculated. Domains were dichotomised in non-optimal (score 1, 2,3) and optimal client-care provider interaction (score 4), and a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. Of the 1367 recruited women, 804 respondents completed the questionnaire and 767 respondents completed enough questions to be included for analysis. Each domain had a mean score above 3.5. The domain confidentiality had the highest proportion of optimal scores (64.0%), followed by respect (53.3%), communication (45.1%) and autonomy (36.2%). In all four domains, women who gave birth at home with a community midwife had a higher proportion of optimal scores than women who gave birth in the hospital with a (resident) obstetrician or hospital-based midwife. Lower education level, being multiparous and giving birth spontaneously were also significantly associated with a higher proportion of optimal scores in (one of) the domains. This study shows that on average women scored high on experienced client-care provider interaction in the domains respect, communication, confidentiality and autonomy. At the same time, client-care provider interaction in the Netherlands still fell short of being optimal for a large number of women, in particular regarding women's autonomy. These results show there is still room for improvement in client-care provider interaction during labour and birth.

Coming to Terms with Markets in Care? Comprehensive Social Policy and Informalization of Care Provision in the English and Greek National Healthcare Systems

Abstract Across welfare regimes, markets are taking the lead from states in providing public-funded health care. Concurrently, informalization of labor market activity in healthcare provision grows. Through an institutional ethnography of temporary agency and bank labor experiences in the English and Greek National Health Services, this paper unpacks how informalization emerges in political and policy environments that not only favor but also resist market arrangements. In doing so, the paper moves the debate from the dilemma of whether to incorporate market actors in healthcare provision to the comprehensive social policy question of how markets could work in healthcare provision.

"We are to be like machines…fill the bed before it gets cold": Exploring the emotional geographies of healthcare providers caring for dying residents in long-term care facilities.

The end-of-life context is imbued with emotions, with death and dying transforming everyday places, like long-term care facilities, into entirely new emotional topographies that can evoke profound effects on those who live and work within these settings. Despite their significant role, healthcare providers' emotions and their interconnections with 'place' have received relatively little attention from researchers, including geographers of care and caregiving. This secondary thematic analysis attempts to address this notable gap by exploring the emotional geographies of healthcare providers caring for dying residents in four long-term care facilities in western Canada. By drawing upon interview and focus group data with administrators (n=12) and direct care provider (n=80) participants, findings reveal that experiences of caring for dying residents were often charged with negative emotions (e.g., distress, frustration, grief). These emotions were not only influenced by social and physical aspects of 'place', but the temporal process of caring for a dying resident, which included: (1) Identifying a resident as in need of a palliative approach to care; (2) Actively dying; and (3) Following a resident's death. Findings indicate that providers' emotions shifted in scale at each of these temporal phases, ranging from association with the facility as a whole to the micro-scale of the body. Broader structural forces that influence the physical and social place of long-term care facilities were also found to shape experiences of emotional labor among staff. With an increasing number of deaths occurring within long-term care facilities throughout the Global North, such findings contribute critical experiential knowledge that can inform policy and programs on ways to help combat staff burnout, facilitate worker satisfaction, and foster resilience among long-term care providers, ensuring they receive the necessary supports to continue fulfilling this valuable caring role.

155 An educational video’s impact on the induction of labor experience: a randomized intervention study

Evaluate if an educational video enhances patients’ knowledge about labor induction and improves satisfaction with the induction process. A single-center study in which women undergoing a scheduled induction of labor (IOL) were randomized to either the control or intervention group. The control group was given a knowledge questionnaire about IOL prior to meeting their provider (midwife or obstetrician) on the day of scheduled induction. The intervention group was shown a 3-minute educational video about IOL before the administration of the knowledge questionnaire. Both groups, 24-48 hours after delivery, were asked to fill out a second questionnaire about satisfaction with the induction process. The video-intervention group was also asked to evaluate the video in this second questionnaire. Both knowledge and satisfaction questionnaires were compared between the control and intervention groups. From October 2019 to February 2020, 145 scheduled IOLs were eligible and approached for the study. 129 participants consented, and 119 completed the entire study. 64 were randomized into the control group and 55 into the intervention group. The educational video significantly improved patients’ baseline knowledge about IOL when compared to the control group (p<0.001). Knowledge scores remained significantly higher in the intervention group when adjusting for participants who had a prior induction or for parity (p<0.001; nulliparity p<0.001; multiparity p<0.001). Additionally, satisfaction with the induction process among participants in the intervention group was significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.001). This also held true in those who had a cesarean delivery or had a history of a prior induction (p<0.003 & p<0.001, respectively). A brief educational video about IOL improved both patients’ knowledge about the induction process and their overall satisfaction with their delivery experience. Video-based education can play an innovative and important role in patient knowledge and satisfaction with the IOL process.

Dosage of oxytocin for augmentation of labor and women's childbirth experiences: A randomized controlled trial.

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to compare childbirth experiences and experience of labor pain in primiparous women who had received high‐ vs low‐dose oxytocin for augmentation of delayed labor.Material and methodsA multicenter, parallel, double‐blind randomized controlled trial took place in six Swedish labor wards. Inclusion criteria were healthy primiparous women at term with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies, cephalic fetal presentation, spontaneous onset of labor, confirmed delayed labor progress and ruptured membranes. The randomized controlled trial compared high‐ vs low‐dose oxytocin used for augmentation of a delayed labor progress. The Childbirth Experience Questionnaire version 2 (CEQ2) was sent to the women 1 month after birth. The CEQ2 consists of 22 items in four domains: Own capacity, Perceived safety, Professional support and Participation. In addition, labor pain was reported with a visual analog scale (VAS) 2 hours postpartum and 1 month after birth. The main outcome was the childbirth experience measured with the four domains of the CEQ2. The clinical trial number is NCT01587625.ResultsThe CEQ2 was sent to 1203 women, and a total of 1008 women (83.8%) answered the questionnaire. The four domains of childbirth experience were scored similarly in the high‐ and low‐dose oxytocin groups of women: Own capacity (P = .36), Perceived safety (P = .44), Professional support (P = .84), Participation (P = .49). VAS scores of labor pain were reported as similar in both oxytocin dosage groups. Labor pain was scored higher 1 month after birth compared with 2 hours postpartum. There was an association between childbirth experiences and mode of birth in both the high‐ and low‐dose oxytocin groups.ConclusionsDifferent dosage of oxytocin for augmentation of delayed labor did not affect women’s childbirth experiences assessed through CEQ2 1 month after birth, or pain assessment 2 hours or 1 month after birth.