Exploring woman -Nurse interaction in a Jordanian antenatal clinic: A qualitative study

Effective woman-nurse interaction is critical in providing quality nursing care and would improve the health outcomes and the level of women's satisfaction with health and nursing services.

To explore how Jordanian nurses and pregnant women perceive their interaction during antenatal visits.

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using a purposive sample of twelve pregnant women and twelve nurses. Data were collected through four focus group discussions organized at an antenatal clinic of a large hospital in Jordan. The data were analyzed using Giorgi's four stages of data analysis.

Approaches to interaction; barriers to interaction; quality of interaction were the main themes emerged from the data. Nurses and pregnant women also provided suggestions for strengthening the womannurse interaction during antenatal visits.

The different aspects of interaction described by the participants of this study may raise awareness and appreciation of the important roles health care providers can play in promoting the health outcomes of pregnant women when effective interaction is built and strengthened. Relevant policies and guidelines on improving appointment systems, and continuing education on communication skills and health education would be needed. More attention is required to adopt appropriate antenatal clinical guidelines and protocols to meet women's needs in Jordan.