Nurses’ experiences of working while pregnant: A qualitative descriptive study

Rainbow, Jessica G.; Dolan, Hanne; Farland, Leslie V.

doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104092

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Previous studies reported that pregnant nurses had a disconnect between wanting to protect their health and completing nursing tasks. For example, Rainbow et al (2021) showed that pregnant nurses worked hard in the desire to be 'super nurses', carrying out patient care instead of caring for themselves. Quinn (2016) also found that pregnant nurses worked to be considered 'good nurses' by colleagues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Management of Working Pregnant Nurses: A grounded theory study

Hino,

Takashima,

Yano

2024

Nursing Open

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AimTo explore the recognition of pregnant nurses on how they managed their health conditions to examine safe working strategies.DesignA qualitative study with a grounded theory approach.MethodsTwenty‐one nurses engaged in work during their pregnancy were recruited and interviewed using a semi‐structured questionnaire from January to June 2021. The data were analysed using a constant comparative method.ResultsThe core category ‘duelling roles’ and the four other categories emerged. Pregnant nurses understand the ‘weight of one’ of being a professional in the workplace. Therefore, despite their health concerns, they struggle to complete their work as one team member to avoid inconveniencing others. However, through experiencing various nursing situations, they ‘perceive one's limits’ of working as they had done before pregnancy and protect their health and patients. Nevertheless, interactions with patients and their colleagues bring ‘delight in nursing’, which encourages them to continue working. Pregnant nurses thus develop a ‘prioritizing the foetus’ working style to continue being nurses while protecting their health.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient CareThese results provide meaningful guidance in considering safe job retention strategies for pregnant nurses. Sharing and developing the ‘prioritizing the foetus’ mindset and management skills gained by the participants may be beneficial for the appropriate health management of pregnant nurses. The study may also facilitate nursing managers' understanding of the experiences of pregnant nurses and encourage them to consider reviewing nursing practices.Reporting MethodThe Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies checklist was used to ensure the quality of research reporting.Patient or Public ContributionMembers of the nursing team were involved in the design, conduct and interpretation of the data in this study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Management of Working Pregnant Nurses: A grounded theory study

Hino,

Takashima,

Yano

2024

Nursing Open

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“…Further health risks include long working hours and heavy lifting, which may induce uterine contractions and premature birth; irregular shifts, which exacerbate fatigue; and high levels of psychosocial stress 20. Deductive findings on occupational hazards and risks during pregnancy and postpartum include exposure to infectious diseases and imaging, physical tasks, exposure to cleaning products, patient violence, and medicine administration 21. Working night shifts and doing physically demanding work have also been also associated with a modest increase in the risk of miscarriage 22.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are also more likely to consider resigning due to concerns about the health of their unborn children 24. There are a few qualitative studies on the experiences of pregnant nurses working shifts21,25 that implied there are occupational dangers experienced by nurses during pregnancy and after childbirth, however, these studies were limited in the countries and workplaces covered 21. Further, the facilities were limited because they were intended for nurses working in tertiary hospitals 25.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20 Deductive findings on occupational hazards and risks during pregnancy and postpartum include exposure to infectious diseases and imaging, physical tasks, exposure to cleaning products, patient violence, and medicine administration. 21 Working night shifts and doing physically demanding work have also been also associated with a modest increase in the risk of miscarriage. 22 Women who worked the night shift during early pregnancy had a slightly increased risk of preterm birth, compared with pregnant nurses who did not work nights.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…24 There are a few qualitative studies on the experiences of pregnant nurses working shifts 21,25 that implied there are occupational dangers experienced by nurses during pregnancy and after childbirth, however, these studies were limited in the countries and workplaces covered. 21 Further, the facilities were limited because they were intended for nurses working in tertiary hospitals. 25 It is therefore necessary to aggregate pregnant nurses' experiences, including work barriers in various situations, to create an environment where pregnant nurses can work comfortably and safely.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pregnant nurses’ experiences of working shifts: a qualitative systematic review protocol

Ooshige

Matsunaka

Ueki

2022

JBI Evidence Synthesis

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Objective: The proposed systematic review will synthesize the experiences of nurses working in any shifts during pregnancy. Introduction: Nurses are among the most burdened health care workers and are at risk of diseases of the circulatory system due to prolonged standing. For pregnant nurses, this could reduce blood circulation and blood flow to the uterus and placenta. Contributing factors include long working hours and frequent heavy lifting, which may induce uterine contractions and premature birth; irregular shifts, which exacerbate fatigue; and high levels of psychosocial stress. There is no qualitative evidence as to what nurses are experiencing while working shifts when pregnant. This review will evaluate and integrate the current available findings related to the experience of shift-working nurses who are pregnant. Inclusion criteria: This review will include qualitative studies focusing on the experience of shift work among pregnant nurses. No language or date limits will be applied. All types of pregnancy among nurses will be included. Methods: The databases to be searched will include CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), and Igaku Chuo Zasshi (the Japan Medical Abstracts Society). Sources of gray literature will include MedNar and DANS, as well as the websites of the American Nurses Association and the Japanese Nursing Association. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. The synthesized findings will be graded according to the ConQual approach for establishing confidence in findings. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022309674

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