The Impact of Effective Communication-based Care on the Childbirth Experience and Satisfaction among Primiparous Women : A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Childbirth is one of the most important events with unavoidable physical and mental stress in women's lives, which may leads to the preference of cesarean section as a way to avoid the negative experiences of natural vaginal delivery. Regarding that there was few studies on the impact of effective communication skills of delivery room staff on the childbirth experience and satisfaction of pregnant women, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of care based on effective communication on childbirth experience and satisfaction among nulliparous women. Methods and Materials: A total of 80 primiparous women admitted to the Shahid Noorani Talesh hospital participated in this experimental study who were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups with 4 and 6 blocks in equal proportions. The effective communication-based care based on the WHO checklist provided for intervention group and the control group received routine care. Data were collected using demographic and obstetric questionnaires, Labor A gentry Scale (LAS), Birth satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R) as well as Support and Control In Birth (SCIB) 12 to 24 hours after childbirth by interview and analyzed by SPSS software version 24 through independent t-test and ANCOVA. Results: The mean score of childbirth experience in the intervention group, after controlling the effect of confounding variables, was significantly higher than the control group. [Mean difference of 5.90 with 95% confidence interval (1.17 to 10.62), (P = 0.01)]. In addition, mean score of childbirth satisfaction in the intervention group after controlling the effect of confounding variables, was significantly higher than the control group [Mean difference of 3.37 with 95% confidence interval (0.87 to5.87 ), (P < 0.001)]. The mean score of support and control in childbirth was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group. [Mean difference of 17.21 with 95% confidence interval (9.40 to 25.03), (P < 0.001)] Conclusion: Providing effective communication-based care improves the childbirth experience and increases childbirth satisfaction as well as the feeling of more support and control by pregnant women during delivery. Therefore, it is recommended that the necessary training should be provided to all medical staff and care providers in the delivery room in the field of improving the skills of effective communication with pregnant women to reduce their anxiety and worry by appreciating them and providing the necessary information for women in childbirth and their families .