DIFFUSION OF ARTIFICIAL TECHNOLOGY AMONG CERTIFIED NURSE-MIDWIVES IN THE UNITED STATES.
Contributors: Rush University, College Of Nursing.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 158
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Public Health.
Description: Procedures based on artificial technology are increasing in number, and often becoming a standard of care in the delivery of obstetrical and gynecologic health care. Certified nurse-midwives belong to a profession with philosophical roots in natural technology. Exploration of the diffusion of artificial technology among these clinicians provided information about both nurse-midwifery and diffusion of technology.

In this study, a cross-sectional sample of certified nurse-midwives in the United States was surveyed in order to identify the degree of artificial technology in use. A stratified weighted sample was drawn from a list of ever-certified nurse-midwives in the United States. States with a higher percent than average percent of home births were oversampled in order to maximize the response among one of the variables, site of practice. For the randomly selected subjects, a closed response form questionnaire was mailed for self administration. The questionnaire included items regarding receiver and social system variables as well as a list of 75 different practices which reflected two different technological bases, artificial and natural. The practice procedures were categorized according to type of technology by a panel of experts. After distribution of 1438 questionnaires, 1187 (82.6%) responses were evaluated for eligibility. Eight hundred and twenty-four questionnaires were from eligible respondents, that is individuals who were found to be currently practicing as nurse-midwives in the United States.

The study revealed these certified nurse-midwives included procedures based on artificial technology in their practices. Thus, diffusion of artificial technology was documented. Approximately 34 percent of the procedures in a nurse-midwife's practice were based upon artificial technology according to this study. However, among these members of the weighted sample, diffusion had not reached saturation, for a greater variety of procedures based on natural technology than artificial technology was found in the nurse-midwives' practices. Variables associated with the diffusion of artificial technology included receiver characteristics of professional age, continuing education activities of number of journals read as well as specific journals and organizational memberships held and the social system characteristics of payment systems used by clientele in the nurse-midwifery practice and site of practice.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-04, Section: B, page: 1322.

Thesis (D.N.SC.)--RUSH UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE OF NURSING, 1989.

School code: 0591.