Phenomenology as a political position within maternity care.

Thomson, Gill; Crowther, Susan

Abstract

In this article, the authors use the context of childbirth to consider the power that is endemic in certain forms of evidence within maternity care research. First, there is consideration of how the current evidence hierarchy and experimental-based studies are the gold standard to determine and direct women's maternity experiences, although this can be at the detriment of care and irrespective of women's needs. This is followed by a critique of how the predominant means to assess women's experiences via satisfaction surveys is of limited utility, offering impartial and restricted insights to assess the quality of care provision. A counter position of hermeneutic phenomenology as research method is then described. This approach offers an alternative perspective by penetrating the taken-for-granted ordinariness of an event (such as childbirth) to elicit rich emic meanings. Whilst all approaches to understanding maternity care have a place, depending on the question(s) being asked, the contribution of phenomenology is how it can uncover a depth of contextual understanding into what matters to women and to inform and transform care delivery.

Citation

THOMSON, G. and CROWTHER, S. 2019. Phenomenology as a political position within maternity care. Nursing philosophy [online], 20(4), article ID e12275. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12275

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 24, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Aug 22, 2019
• Publication Date: Oct 31, 2019
• Deposit Date: Sep 3, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 23, 2020
• Journal: Nursing Philosophy
• Print ISSN: 1466-7681
• Electronic ISSN: 1466-769X
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 4
• Article Number: e12275
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12275
• Keywords: Evidence-based medicine; Hermeneutic phenomenology; Maternity care; Satisfaction surveys
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/461358
• Contract Date: Sep 3, 2019