Study of Mothers&apos; and Nurses&apos; Perception of the Nursing Needs of Women Experiencing Premature Labor
Authors: Han Kyung Ryu 
Published: September 2023

The purpose of this study was to compare the nurses' perceptions with the women's about the women's needs in premature labor and to find out how to accomplish effective nursing intervention for the women to cope with their crises in premature labor. The objects of this study consisted of 33 hospitalized mothers in post partum because of premature labor, who were delivered of new born, in four university hospitals, a general hospital and a lower general hospital which has a neonatal intensive care unit in Seoul during 17 days(Oct. 4, 1994 to Oct. 20, 1994) and 32 nurses who have worked at delivery rooms in the hospitals above for 6 months or more, accomplishing nursing intervention.The results of this investigation were as follows : 1) General characteristics of women : Their mean age was 29.4 years(SD 4.37) and the mean of their gestational periods 3 days over 34 weeks(SD 2.48). Most of them were the married(93.9%) and held high school degree or more(93.9%). And some of them were the deligious(68.7%), multiparae(59.4%) and had their jobs(21.2%). The also had hospitalized experience due to premature labor(51.5%), experienced in premature delivery(33.3%), the prental care(78.6%), cesearean section(63.6%), and pregnancies less than twice(62.5%). The most mothers were included in 34 weeks and a day to 37 weeks(60.6%). It was also confirmed that most of the sustaining presences in labor were their husbands(81.2%).2) General characteristics of nurses : Their mean age was 27.6 years(SD 4.50), and their carrier with the service on the average 6 months over 3 years long(SD 3.63). Numbers of them were staff nurses(84.4%), maiden ladies(71.9%), graduated from junior colleges of nursing(71.9%), and had no experiences in delivery(78.1%).Besides, none of them had experiences in premature labor.3) The whole mean of needs perceived by pregnant women was identified as 3.086 points and the degree of their perception was given much weight in order of interdependence need(3.14), self concept need(3.11), physical physiologic need(3.09), and role function need(2.74). So it was proved that they regarded interdependence need as being the most important need in crises caused premature labor.4) The whole mean of needs felt by the nurses was 3.092 points and the degree of their feelings was given much weigh in order of physical physiologic need(3.22), self concept need(3.15), interdependence need(3.06) and role function need(2.75). So it was ascertained that they felt physical physiologic need the most important, differing from the women in it.5) There were few differences on the degrees of the perceptions that the nurses and the women showed on each of the four parts.6) On each part of the questionnaires, it was examined that the women felt the need for the fetus to be the most important generally while the nurses perceived the need with the women to be more important than that.7) The primiparae(40.6%) felt role function need be more important than multiparae(59.4%) (p<0.05), and the women from universities and above(39.4%) perceived self concept need to be more important than those holding the high school degrees and below(60.6%). (p<0.05) 8) The nurses having experience in delivery(21.9%) perceived interdependence need and role function need to be more important than important than those having no experiences(78.1%). (p<0.05) So far most of the nurses have concentrated their efforts on nursing for safety for the women in premature labor hospitalized in delivery rooms. But the women are not satisfied with just it because of having perceived the need for the fetus more important above all. In nursing for the future, therefore, every nurse caring for the women should offer them all the informations that they will want for their fetuses to adapt them to the crises effectively, understanding such their needs and making most of honest and simple terms for them, I insist. Through this study, I'm sure that inquiring into the need of women in premature labor minetely will show the way of more effective nursing interventions in clinic.And I suggest that the various kinds of studies about the more objects be done for the generalization of the results of this study in the future.