Date of Award
Spring 6-10-2022
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
Abstract
Objective: To examine perspectives of nurses and certified nurse midwives providing care to childbearing families in the US during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design: This is a qualitative descriptive study utilizing interview data.
Setting: Online distribution of surveys beginning May 2020 until September 2020.
Participants: 100 nurses and CNMs were interviewed; This study’s sample focuses on 19 study participants who reported practicing in the labor and delivery settings.
Methods: Descriptive statistics were utilized to calculate both respondent’s demographic and workplace characteristics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants, recorded for thematic analysis. This data collection is to ensure that interview data are participants’ actual verbatim responses in the qualitative interviews are recorded and subsequently transcribed rather than relying on interviewer notes (Polit & Beck, 2020).
Results: The research team derived five major themes from the responses: Separation of birthing parents and newborns, Isolation of birthing parents, Disparities, Barriers to Communication, and Mental health of the care team. Participants (n=19) described changes in their roles, and associated care delivery challenges during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants described stressors that affected their mental health and perceptions of changes that altered the quality-of-care delivery to perinatal patients.
Conclusion: Participant’s experiences are helpful in gaining knowledge of barriers and challenges to care and give insight and foundation for the development of successful care strategies for marginalized and vulnerable populations. This study will examine how these issues and concerns impacted patients, nurses, and certified nurse midwives’ delivery of consistent patient care to expectant mothers in the US.
Recommended Citation
Bush, Nichelle, "Providing Labor and Delivery Care During the First Wave of COVID-19: Qualitative Interviews with Nurses and CNMs" (2022). College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations. 539.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/csh_etd/539
SLP Collection
yes