A framework proposal for digital interventions in perinatal education: the result of a content analysis to WHO intra-partum care recommendations
International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare
ISSN: 2056-4902
Article publication date: 8 June 2021
Issue publication date: 25 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This research proposes a framework to guide the development and analysis of digital interventions, namely, through mobile applications, regarding labor and birth. By complying with current scientific evidence, this paper aims to contribute to the safeness and completeness of perinatal health education targeting expectant parents.
Design/methodology/approach
A content analysis was conducted on a document containing World Health Organization guidelines for intra-partum, considering the following categories: timeframe, care options, category of recommendation, to create a data set clearly distinguishing between recommendations and non-recommendations. Context-specific and research-context recommendations, details from dosages, measurements and timings, infant care and non-immediate postpartum topics were considered out of the scope of this study.
Findings
The results were summarized in a table, ready to be used as a data set, including the following 16 care options ranging from health, well-being and/or rights: respect, communication, companionship, pregnant person’s monitoring, status, fetal monitoring, pain relief, pain management, amenities, labor delay prevention, progress, freedom of choice, facilitation of birth, prevention of postpartum hemorrhage, umbilical cord care and recovery. These were distributed across six timeframes: always, admission, first, second and third stage of labor and immediate postpartum. In addition, recommendations and non-recommendations are displayed in different columns.
Originality/value
This transdisciplinary research intends to contribute to: future research on perinatal education; the creation of digital interventions, namely, m-health ones, targeting expectant parents by providing a framework of content coverage; the endorsement of the rights to Information and to decision-making. Ultimately, when put into practice, the framework can impact self-care through access to perinatal education.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments that helped improve the paper. CVL would like to acknowledge the fund support to conduct this research from the Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), and by the European Social Fund of the European Union, through the Doctoral Programme in Technology Enhanced Learning and Societal Challenges (TELSC) (PD/00173/2013), under the doctoral research grant PD/BD/143077/ 2018.
Citation
Leite, C.V. and Almeida, A.M. (2021), "A framework proposal for digital interventions in perinatal education: the result of a content analysis to WHO intra-partum care recommendations", International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 387-397. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-07-2020-0060
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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