Symptoms of preterm labor and self-diagnostic confusion
Related Experiment Videos
E T Patterson1, A B Douglas, P M Patterson
1Nursing Service Department, Montclair Baptist Medical Center, Birmingham, AL.
The purpose of this study was to learn how women experiencing preterm labor come to know a health deviation exists, and what they do when faced with such a problem. Grounded theory methodology was used as the research approach. Extensive interviews were conducted with 28 women about their care-seeking experiences with preterm labor. Ambiguous symptoms, absence of a meaningful label to attach to symptoms, and the context of pregnancy with its expected discomforts come together to create a situation of diagnostic confusion. Appropriate action to take in response to the diagnostic confusion is not self-evident. Deliberate and protracted efforts to make sense of and deal with symptoms of preterm labor are attempted. Making sense consists of three subprocesses: comparing, gathering data, and seeking information. Strategies used to deal with the symptoms include self-treating, ignoring, positive thinking, and waiting. Recourse to a professional is used as the strategy of last resort when symptoms can no longer be contained.
The purpose of this study was to learn how women experiencing preterm labor come to know a health deviation exists, and what they do when faced with such a problem. Grounded theory methodology was used as the research approach. Extensive interviews were conducted with 28 women about their care-seeking experiences with preterm labor. Ambiguous symptoms, absence of a meaningful label to attach to symptoms, and the context of pregnancy with its expected discomforts come together to create a situation of diagnostic confusion. Appropriate action to take in response to the diagnostic confusion is not self-evident. Deliberate and protracted efforts to make sense of and deal with symptoms of preterm labor are attempted. Making sense consists of three subprocesses: comparing, gathering data, and seeking information. Strategies used to deal with the symptoms include self-treating, ignoring, positive thinking, and waiting. Recourse to a professional is used as the strategy of last resort when symptoms can no longer be contained.