The impact of severe perinatal events on maternity care providers: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Severe events during the perinatal period can be experienced as traumatic by pregnant women, their partners or others who are closely involved. This includes maternity care providers who can be affected by being involved in or observing these events. This may have an impact on their personal well-being and professional practice, influencing quality of care. The aim of this study is to map research investigating the impact of severe events during the perinatal period on maternity care providers, and how these experiences affect their well-being and professional practice. METHOD: A scoping review following the manual of the Joanna Briggs Institute was undertaken. The electronic bibliographic databases included PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, SocINDEX, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science and databases for grey literature. Records passing the two-stage screening process were assessed, and their reference lists hand searched. We included primary research papers that presented data from maternity care professionals on the impact of severe perinatal traumatic events. A descriptive content analysis and synthesis was undertaken. RESULTS: Following a detailed systematic search and screening of 1,611 records, 57 papers were included in the scoping review. Results of the analysis identified four categories, which highlighted the impact of traumatic perinatal events on maternity care providers, mainly midwives, obstetricians and nurses: Traumatic events, Impact of traumatic events on care providers, Changes in care providers' practice and Support for care providers; each including several subcategories. CONCLUSION: The impact of traumatic perinatal events on maternity care providers ranged from severe negative responses where care providers moved position or resigned from their employment in maternity care, to responses where they felt they became a better clinician. However, a substantial number appeared to be negatively affected by traumatic events without getting adequate support. Given the shortage of maternity staff and the importance of a sustainable workforce for effective maternity care, the impact of traumatic perinatal events requires serious consideration in maintaining their wellbeing and positive engagement when conducting their profession. Future research should explore which maternity care providers are mostly at risk for the impact of traumatic events and which interventions can contribute to prevention.

Sexual health beliefs and prevention of sexually transmitted infections among cisgender women sex workers in Colombia.

INTRODUCTION: The stigma and social discrimination against cisgender women sex workers lead many of them to live in conditions characterized by social inequality, marginalization, persecution, and limited opportunities for sexual health literacy. Consequently, they are often compelled to establish a framework of preventive beliefs with little scientific validity, which they use to identify, mitigate, or avoid sexual health risks arising from their interactions with clients. This study investigates the sexual health beliefs that influence self-care practices aimed at preventing sexually transmitted infections among cisgender women sex workers in Colombia. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study framed in Hermeneutic Phenomenology. In-depth interviews and discussion groups were conducted with 34 cisgender women sex workers over 18 years of age in the center of the cities of Bogotá and Barranquilla in Colombia. RESULTS: Seven themes emerged from the reflective and inductive thematic analysis of the narratives: (1) popular habits for the prevention of contagion, (2) ocular assessment of genitals, (3) condom lubrication, (4) suspicion of a hidden infection in the client, (5) saliva and oral contact as a source of contagion, (6) avoidance of semen contact, (7) and trust in God as protection. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reflect the need for health and social professionals to promote participatory and inclusive cooperation with sex workers to update the framework of preventive beliefs that help them guide sexual health self-care with autonomy and self-efficacy, strengthening favorable beliefs and negotiating unfavorable ones. It is also essential to have a sex worker-informed sexual health policy that guides the promotion of sexual health that is sensitive to the needs and consistent with the risks of sex work and ensures friendly and non-oppressive preventive care environments for sex workers.