Carolan Mary
Healthcare, Technology and Place, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
J Clin Nurs. 2007 Jun;16(6):1162-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.01600.x.
This paper aims to highlight the information-based dilemmas of a particular group of healthcare patients, first-time mothers over 35 years.
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of health-related information and a move towards greater public access to health information as an important step towards patient education and empowerment. Information technologies, such as the Internet, have added considerable momentum to this trend. Many health professionals now consider the provision of detailed health information to patients as requisite for informed decision making. Within the literature there is some emphasis on the importance of patient understanding of information received; however, to date, few studies have considered information over-consumption as problematic.
Using in-depth interviews, a sample of 22 first-time mothers over 35 years was interviewed over three junctures: 35 weeks gestation, 10-14 days postpartum and six to eight months postpartum. Three focus group interviews of midwives and maternal and child health nurses were also conducted. This paper was undertaken as part of a larger project to evaluate the experience of first mothering over 35 years.
Mothers in this study were found to have access to large volumes of health information. This tendency was driven by both the women and the health professionals who cared for them. Midwives and maternal and child health nurses revealed a tendency to provide older first-time mothers with considerable health information of a medical orientation, understanding that this is what the women required. However, despite common perceptions of empowerment, the consumption of medical-type information proved frightening and many mothers described feeling overwhelmed by 'knowing too much'.
This study contributes to the limited understanding of the information needs of a growing group of childbearing women, first-time mothers over 35 years. By providing an insight into the 'downside' of extensive health information, nursing staff, in particular, may consider the amount and type of information they distribute. Some suggestions are offered to health professionals to ameliorate the information-based dilemmas of these women.
As the number of childbearing women over 35 years continues to grow, it is important for health professionals to understand the particular needs of this group. In doing so, doctors, midwives and maternal and child health nurses may be in a position to provide more meaningful maternal support.
本文旨在突出某一特定医疗患者群体——35岁以上初产妇——基于信息的困境。
近年来，与健康相关的信息大量涌现，公众获取健康信息的机会增多，这是朝着患者教育和赋权迈出的重要一步。诸如互联网等信息技术为这一趋势增添了巨大动力。许多医疗专业人员现在认为向患者提供详细的健康信息是做出明智决策的必要条件。在文献中，有一些强调患者理解所接收信息的重要性；然而，迄今为止，很少有研究认为信息过度消费是个问题。
通过深度访谈，对22名35岁以上的初产妇在三个阶段进行了访谈：妊娠35周、产后10 - 14天以及产后6至8个月。还对助产士以及母婴健康护士进行了三次焦点小组访谈。本文是作为一个更大项目的一部分进行的，该项目旨在评估35岁以上首次生育的经历。
本研究中的母亲们能够获取大量的健康信息。这种趋势受到女性自身以及照顾她们的医疗专业人员的推动。助产士以及母婴健康护士表现出一种倾向，即向年龄较大的初产妇提供大量具有医学导向的健康信息，因为他们认为这是这些女性所需要的。然而，尽管普遍认为这能带来赋权，但事实证明，消费这类医学信息令人恐惧，许多母亲表示因“知道得太多”而感到不堪重负。
本研究有助于增进对一个不断壮大的育龄女性群体——35岁以上初产妇——信息需求的有限理解。通过深入了解大量健康信息的“负面影响”，尤其是护理人员，可能会考虑他们所传播信息的数量和类型。本文向医疗专业人员提供了一些建议，以改善这些女性基于信息的困境。
随着35岁以上育龄女性数量持续增长，医疗专业人员了解这一群体的特殊需求非常重要。这样，医生、助产士以及母婴健康护士或许能够提供更有意义的产妇支持。
