The meaning of the nurse's presence during childbirth.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop new understandings of what it means to women in labor for a nurse to be present during childbirth.


METHODS
Hermeneutic inquiry was used to explore the phenomenon of nursing presence during childbirth. The purpose of questioning in hermeneutic phenomenology is to stimulate thoughtful reflection and deeper exploration of the subject's experiences. PARTICIPANTS/ SETTING: Six women from an urban center in Canada volunteered to share their experiences of childbirth through conversations with the research team.


METHODS
Audio-taped, transcribed interviews were analyzed along with the reflections of the research team.


RESULTS
Women attribute multiple meanings to the care provided by intrapartum nurses. However, what stood out in these women's accounts was that a nurse's presence was the way in which a nurse was "there" for them and was a very important part of their childbirth experience.


CONCLUSIONS
Women's experiences of a nurse's presence cannot be understood apart from the institutional structures and work processes that shape their experiences. Further research is needed to explicate how hospital procedures, administrative structures, and medical practices enable or constrain the presence of the intrapartum nurse.
MacKinnon
Karen
K
Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary Alberta Canada T2N 1N4. mack5@shaw.ca
McIntyre
Marjorie
M
Quance
Margaret
M
D002170:Canada; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015399:Nursing Research; D009773:Obstetric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D036801:Parturition; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires