Working with women experiencing mid-trimester termination of pregnancy: the integration of nursing and feminist knowledge in the gynaecological setting.
1. Working with women experiencing a mid-trimester termination of pregnancy is part of clinical practice in many gynaecological services. In this paper recent research with nurses working in the gynaecological area is drawn on to explore the issues for nurses working with women experiencing mid-trimester termination. Mid-trimester terminations are those carried out between approximately 12 and 20 weeks. 2. Mid-trimester termination results in the delivery of a fetus and this event requires sensitive management as it is has the potential to cause distress for the women due to the psychological and physical impact of the procedure. However, health professionals involved can also find this a distressing clinical event due to the complex nature of the management and care required. 3. Consideration of this clinical event from a feminist perspective led to my exploring the way in which feminist theory could be applied in the situation of mid-trimester termination. Using notions from feminist theory can assist in the management of this process, and feminist concepts related to the centrality of women's experience can be integrated into actual practice. 4. A series of recommendations are provided in this paper to show the way in which feminist concepts can be integrated into clinical practice. Integrating feminist principles into practice can support both the woman experiencing the abortion and the nurse whose role in the event is sustained and intimate, and result in positive outcomes for both women. This can result in an environment that is safe and supportive for all women involved in mid-trimester terminations.
Huntington
Annette D
AD
Senior Lecturer, School of Health Sciences, Massey University at Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. A.D.Huntington@massey.ac.nz
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D019513:Feminism; D006176:Gynecology / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009520:New Zealand; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015399:Nursing Research; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D013315:Stress, Psychological