Health Care : Current Reviews

Iranian women's experiences of the episiotomy consent process: A qualitative study

International Congress on Global Healthcare

August 24-25, 2023 | WEBINAR

Malihe Ghiasvand

Islamic Azad Univesity, Iran

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Health Care Curr Rev

Abstract:

Background: Knowledge of the benefits and complications of interventions related to medical procedures, such as episiotomy, enables women to make informed decisions regarding the acceptance or rejection of these interventions. Thus, the study was conducted to investigate women’s experiences of the episiotomy consent process in Iran. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was performed by content analysis in 2018. Before starting data collection, this research was approved by the code of ethics [IR.SBMU.PHARMACY.REC.1398.088]. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with subjects selected by purposive sampling. A total of 20 women who had undergone episiotomy were interviewed. The participants were selected from hospitals, health centers, and gynecology clinics affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Results: One theme and two categories were extracted from the analysis of the women’s experiences of the episiotomy consent process. The women’s experiences of the episiotomy consent process theme included the unmet needs of the participants, non-observance of professional ethics in midwifery and their non-inclusion in decision-making. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the non-inclusion of women in decision-making and their unmet needs present ethical challenges regarding the performance of episiotomy procedures. Neglecting women's expectations, inducing absolute trust in obstetricians or midwives and failing to obtain informed consent paved the way for forced episiotomies. Proper education and information and obtaining informed can facilitate respecting the rights of women undergoing episiotomy.

Biography :

Maliheh Ghiyasvand has completed her PhD in Reproductive Health from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. She is currently researching unnecessary interventions during childbirth and improving the quality of midwifery care. In qualitative research based on the paradigm of naturalism, truth is not simply a fixed fact, but a multiple and subjective naturalism that, as the intellectual of qualitative methodology. It not only promotes the authenticity of natural conditions, but also reduces the distance between the research and the subject. (Pilot and Book 2013).