Parents' experiences of using videoconferencing as a support in early discharge after childbirth.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: to describe parents' experiences of using videoconferencing (VC) when discharged early from a maternity unit. DESIGN: a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to describe parents' experiences. Data were collected via questionnaires and interviews. SETTING: a pilot study involving a maternity department and new parents in their homes was conducted. Through VC, parents discharged early were able to maintain follow-up contact with the midwife via sound and picture at the department. PARTICIPANTS: nine couples/new parents participated. FINDINGS: the analysis revealed four categories of responses 'feeling confident with the technology'; 'feeling confident of having control of their privacy'; 'feeling confident being face-to-face on the VC'; and 'feeling confident when worries and concerns were met and answers were received'. KEY CONCLUSIONS: using VC as a support in cases of early discharge after childbirth can facilitate a meeting that makes it possible for new parents to be guided by the midwife in their transition into parenthood. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE the findings of this study indicate that VC equipment may be helpful for parents discharged from hospital early after childbirth. The findings can also be used as a foundation for further development of the application of VC within maternal health care and in health care in rural areas.