Current state of knowledge: Couples’ experiences of the hospitalization of the woman due to a high-risk pregnancy

Varia
By Émilie Lavallée, France Dupuis, Marjolaine Héon
English

Care for women with high-risk pregnancies is emerging. In some cases, the pregnant woman may need to be hospitalized. In nursing, little is known about the couples’ experience of the hospitalization, because this event has mostly been explored from a maternal perspective. Some authors however suggest that using a systemic perspective would enhance the comprehension of this phenomenon and guide the development of nursing care. In order to clarify the actual understanding of the phenomenon, we have compiled a literature review. The aim of this article is to present the current state of knowledge regarding couples’ experience of the women’s hospitalization due to a high-risk pregnancy. This is compared with the current nursing practice, looking at the practice of the main author of this article. The main themes that emerge from this literature review include: giving meaning to antenatal hospitalization, the couple organizing themselves to face danger, managing stress and anxiety due to hospitalization, and needing each other’s support. This is followed by a consideration of possible research and nursing practice recommendations, while adopting a systemic constructivist perspective that takes into account relations between partners and the hospitalization context. Finally, a model presenting the current nursing practice is discussed.

Key words

  • couple
  • high risk pregnancy
  • hospitalization
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