The Experiences of Ghanaian Midwives on the Use of Nonadjustable Delivery Beds: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background Hospital beds are of great assistance to both clients and caregivers as they give lots of choices to the users. More often, clients have difficulty getting in and out of beds, but the adjustable features of the beds make it possible for them to be comfortable, regardless of their condition. This situation may not be the same if nonadjustable delivery beds (NADBs) are used in conducting deliveries at health care facilities. This study explored the experiences of midwives using NADBs in selected Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) hospitals in the Volta Region of Ghana. Methods The study employed an exploratory qualitative research design with purposive sampling. Semistructured interview data were audio recorded. The inclusion criteria were professional midwives with at least 1 year of working skills and the midwives should have conducted deliveries using NADBs during their practice. Data were collected concurrently with data transcription and analyzed using content analysis. Saturation was reached after the 20th interview. Results Three themes emerged from the study: NADBs not comfortable to work with, assumption of awkward postures, and the nature of the delivery beds. Conclusion The findings of the study show that midwives experience several setbacks in the use of NADBs in conducting deliveries as they sacrifice their health for work.

A qualitative study of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among midwives in selected hospitals in Ho municipality, Ghana

“…On predisposing factors, the results of this study showed that poor body posture and unavailability of Non-Adjustable Delivery Beds (NADBs) were significant predisposing factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This result is consistent with the earlier reports, wherein the unavailability of adjustable beds and poor body posture as significant risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders [ 7 , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] ]. The possible explanation for the above findings is that working in an awkward posture puts stress on the muscles, bones, and joints.…”

Midwives Experiences of Managing Clients with Eclampsia in a low Resource Setting: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

“…The midwives adopted strategies such as calling for help and borrowing oxygen from other wards to resuscitate the patients ( Dartey et al, 2021 ; Ismaila et al, 2021 ). It is also interesting to note that some midwives, despite the challenges involved in peer monitoring and supervision, readiness to learn new ways of solving existing problems.…”

Experiences of Nurses Caring for Children Under Five Years with Burns at a Teaching Hospital in Ghana

“…No new ideas, concepts and themes were emerging after the 12th to 15th nurses were interviewed, hence data collection was stopped. 20–22 Registered nurses at the rank of Senior Staff Nurses (SSN) and above, with at least three (3) years of experience handling children with burn injuries at the time of data collection, were included in this study. This ensured that contributions were more in-depth and rich because they came from people with greater knowledge about the burn’s environs.…”