Abstract
This study participatory examination (the contructional examination method) to observe how the use of different fetal heart rate monitoring methods affect the continuity of action taken by midwives for women under their care during delivery of first stage. It consists of analysis of individual scenes of examinations.
The midwives cared for the low-risk popurations.
A total of 67 examination scenes were obtained, consisiting of 33 scenes of intermittent monitoring with the stethoscope and 34 scenes in which continuous monitoring was conducted.
Analysis of diagrams of each scene led to the following conclusions.
The scenes were arranged in two categories, one in which information gathering and care-giving were involved, and the other in which information gathering only was involved. It was found that when the stethoscope was used, the percentage of observations both information gathering and care-giving were significantly greater than with continuous monitoring.
It was also noted that with continuous monotoring, the use of an obstetrics care unit restricted both the woman's ability to change potions and the care option open to the midwife, and that there were cases in which the midwife's time was taken up with adjustment of the equipment rather than giving care.
