WHO:s rekommendationer för vård vid normal förlossning : Instrumentutveckling, barnmorskors dokumenterade vård och kvinnors uppfattningar

Sammanfattning: The aims of intrapartal care are a healthy mother and child and a positive birth experience for the woman. The aims should be achieved using the least possible number of interventions that is compatible with safety. The overall aim of this thesis was to develop an instrument based on the WHO’s recommendations for care in normal birth, to describe documented intrapartal care in a pre- and post-test following a quality improvement program and to elucidate women’s perceptions of received intrapartal care. The Delphi method was used to develop the instrument. Birth records were scrutinized in the pre-test (n=212) as well in the post-test (n=240). Women’s (n=138) perceptions were collected with a questionnaire.An instrument with 69 questions and 24 follow-up questions was developed. The results from the pre-test showed that WHO’s recommendations were only partly followed. Intrapartal care for women at low-risk was similar to care for women at high-risk. Areas for improvement were identified and a quality improvement program was carried out during a two-year period. The post-test showed that the intrapartal care changed towards more adherence to WHO’s recommendations, especially for areas where guidelines were written and for women at low-risk. No statistically significant differences were found for the number of spontaneous vaginal deliveries, mother and child at low-risk after birth, active labour longer than 12 hours or second stage longer than one hour. The result from the women’s questionnaire showed that they to a great extent received care which encompassed practices that are demonstrably useful and should be encouraged. The women’s perceptions were that all received care was of great subjective importance.The instrument developed from WHO’s recommendations can be used to examine intrapartal care. Midwives should carry out a risk assessment on the woman’s arrival at the maternity unit and plan the care together with the woman and significant others. Midwives’ documentation needs to change to incorporate interpersonal aspects. Women’s faith in intrapartal care shows the importance of continuous education for midwives in evidence-based care for normal birth. National evidence-based guidelines for intrapartal care need to be developed.