Decision-making during obstetric emergencies : A narrative approach
Raoust, Gabriel M LU
; Bergström, Johan
LU
; Bolin, Maria
and Hansson, Stefan R
LU
(2022)
In PLoS ONE
17(1).
p.1-21
- Abstract
This study aims to explore how physicians make sense of and give meaning to their decision-making during obstetric emergencies. Childbirth is considered safe in the wealthiest parts of the world. However, variations in both intervention rates and delivery outcomes have been found between countries and between maternity units of the same country. Interventions can prevent neonatal and maternal morbidity but may cause avoidable harm if performed without medical indication. To gain insight into the possible causes of this variation, we turned to first-person perspectives, and particularly physicians' as they hold a central role in the obstetric team. This study was conducted at four maternity units in the southern region of Sweden. Using a... (More)
This study aims to explore how physicians make sense of and give meaning to their decision-making during obstetric emergencies. Childbirth is considered safe in the wealthiest parts of the world. However, variations in both intervention rates and delivery outcomes have been found between countries and between maternity units of the same country. Interventions can prevent neonatal and maternal morbidity but may cause avoidable harm if performed without medical indication. To gain insight into the possible causes of this variation, we turned to first-person perspectives, and particularly physicians' as they hold a central role in the obstetric team. This study was conducted at four maternity units in the southern region of Sweden. Using a narrative approach, individual in-depth interviews ignited by retelling an event and supported by art images, were performed between Oct. 2018 and Feb. 2020. In total 17 obstetricians and gynecologists participated. An inductive thematic narrative analysis was used for interpreting the data. Eight themes were constructed: (a) feeling lonely, (b) awareness of time, (c) sense of responsibility, (d) keeping calm, (e) work experience, (f) attending midwife, (g) mind-set and setting, and (h) hedging. Three decision-making perspectives were constructed: (I) individual-centered strategy, (II) dialogue-distributed process, and (III) chaotic flow-orientation. This study shows how various psychological and organizational conditions synergize with physicians during decision-making. It also indicates how physicians gave decision-making meaning through individual motivations and rationales, expressed as a perspective. Finally, the study also suggests that decision-making evolves with experience, and over time. The findings have significance for teamwork, team training, patient safety and for education of trainees.
(Less)
- author
- Raoust, Gabriel M
LU
; Bergström, Johan
LU
; Bolin, Maria
and Hansson, Stefan R
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Attitude of Health Personnel, Decision Making, Delivery, Obstetric, Emergencies, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Male, Nurse Midwives/psychology, Parturition/psychology, Physicians/psychology, Pregnancy, Qualitative Research, Sweden
- in
- PLoS ONE
- volume
- 17
- issue
- 1
- article number
- e0260277
- pages
- 1 - 21
- publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85123541736
- pmid:35081113
- ISSN
- 1932-6203
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0260277
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 42c64abf-e6bc-40bb-a6f7-0eb6dc0851c5
- date added to LUP
- 2022-03-18 13:28:15
- date last changed
- 2025-03-23 23:55:44
@article{42c64abf-e6bc-40bb-a6f7-0eb6dc0851c5,
abstract = {{<p>This study aims to explore how physicians make sense of and give meaning to their decision-making during obstetric emergencies. Childbirth is considered safe in the wealthiest parts of the world. However, variations in both intervention rates and delivery outcomes have been found between countries and between maternity units of the same country. Interventions can prevent neonatal and maternal morbidity but may cause avoidable harm if performed without medical indication. To gain insight into the possible causes of this variation, we turned to first-person perspectives, and particularly physicians' as they hold a central role in the obstetric team. This study was conducted at four maternity units in the southern region of Sweden. Using a narrative approach, individual in-depth interviews ignited by retelling an event and supported by art images, were performed between Oct. 2018 and Feb. 2020. In total 17 obstetricians and gynecologists participated. An inductive thematic narrative analysis was used for interpreting the data. Eight themes were constructed: (a) feeling lonely, (b) awareness of time, (c) sense of responsibility, (d) keeping calm, (e) work experience, (f) attending midwife, (g) mind-set and setting, and (h) hedging. Three decision-making perspectives were constructed: (I) individual-centered strategy, (II) dialogue-distributed process, and (III) chaotic flow-orientation. This study shows how various psychological and organizational conditions synergize with physicians during decision-making. It also indicates how physicians gave decision-making meaning through individual motivations and rationales, expressed as a perspective. Finally, the study also suggests that decision-making evolves with experience, and over time. The findings have significance for teamwork, team training, patient safety and for education of trainees.</p>}},
author = {{Raoust, Gabriel M and Bergström, Johan and Bolin, Maria and Hansson, Stefan R}},
issn = {{1932-6203}},
keywords = {{Attitude of Health Personnel; Decision Making; Delivery, Obstetric; Emergencies; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Nurse Midwives/psychology; Parturition/psychology; Physicians/psychology; Pregnancy; Qualitative Research; Sweden}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{1--21}},
publisher = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
series = {{PLoS ONE}},
title = {{Decision-making during obstetric emergencies : A narrative approach}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260277}},
doi = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0260277}},
volume = {{17}},
year = {{2022}},
}