A project to promote equality in ante-natal care for women who do not speak Swedish

• BackgroundHealth care in Sweden aims to be equal. In antenatal care, women who do not speak Swedish have a higher rate of maternal and infant mortality (Essen et al. 2001, Wahlberg et al. 2013). Cultural and communicative problems have been identified as one reason for this disparity. Due to recent immigration, Arabic-speaking women (ASW) have been identified as a vulnerable group. Technology has the potential to solve language and cultural barriers (Haith-Cooper 2014). A pilot study in which midwives were interviewed suggested that an ‘app’ for a tablet with multimodal components could be an aid to cultural and linguistic understanding (Axelsson et al. 2016). AimThe aim of the project is to identify women’s and midwives’ information needs and cultural issues, and subsequently, to develop an app with norm-critical design for interactive communication in antenatal care (ANC). The app will serve as a complement to interpreters and provide essential information about ANC.MethodTwo data collection methods will be used. The first is to observe meetings between midwives and pregnant women. The second is to interview midwives in focus groups so that they can freely express their wishes. Following this, a trial version of the app will be constructed, which will then be tested and evaluated iteratively in midwifery practice. The material will be analysed in workshops using linguistic and norm critique methods.ResultsThe app is expected to improve and ensure the quality of ANC for ASW and improve their understanding of pregnancy, fetal development and parenting. It will hlep midwives to be sure that women have been given the correct information and improve patient safety. We will improve our own understanding of the risks in communication that can arise when two parties do not understand each other, and of how communication can be promoted through an app. ReferencesEssen, B. et al. (2001) Increased perinatal mortality among sub-Saharan immigrants in a city-population in Sweden.  [Dissertation]. Malmö and Lund: Lund University; 2001.Haith-Cooper, M. (2014) Mobile translators for non-English-speaking women accessing maternity services. British Journal of Midwifery. 2014; 22: 795-803. http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/bjom.2014.22.11.795Axelsson, C. et al. (2016). ”Det kan bli så mycket fel”: Förstudie om barnmorskors upp­levelser av kommunikation med gravida kvinnor utan funktionell behärskning av svenska. Kalmar/Växjö: Linnéuniversitetet.Wahlberg, A. et al. (2013) Increased risk of severe maternal morbidity (near-miss) among immigrant women in Sweden: a population register-based study  Epidemiology. 2013 Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, International Maternal and Child Health, Uppsala, Sweden

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Annan hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Other Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Systemvetenskap, informationssystem och informatik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Information Systems (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

App development

antenatal care

communication

Software Technology

Programvaruteknik

Health Informatics

Hälsoinformatik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)