Nurses' Role in the Birth Experience: An Integrative Review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Patient Experience Research
• Obstetrics

Background:

• Intrapartum nurses play a crucial role in childbirth.
• Their specific impact on patient-reported birth experiences requires clarification.
• Understanding nursing care's influence is vital for improving maternal outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and highlight intrapartum nursing care characteristics and practices.
• To identify nursing actions associated with positive birth experiences.
• To provide evidence for optimizing intrapartum nursing interventions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search in CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus (February-March 2024).
• Inclusion of original, peer-reviewed English publications on birth experience and satisfaction.
• Quality assessment using the Johns Hopkins Research Evidence Appraisal Tool.

Main Results:

• Twenty-five publications (1989-2021) with good to high quality were included.
• Intrapartum nursing care practices fulfilling patients' needs (physiological, safety, love, esteem, self-actualization) were identified.
• These needs-focused practices were linked to various birth experience outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Meeting patients' needs during labor and birth is fundamental for positive birth experiences.
• Unmet needs correlate with negative birth experiences.
• Findings support intrapartum nurses in enhancing patient outcomes through holistic care.