Born in Service: Birth Experiences in Military vs. Civilian Hospitals
Advisor Information
Timi Barone
Location
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
7-3-2014 11:00 AM
End Date
7-3-2014 11:15 AM
Abstract
As women have increasingly entered the military or received health care as military dependents, the quintessential feminine experience of giving birth collides with an intensely masculine realm. This study examines if birth experiences differ between military and civilian health care facilities. Specifically, I interviewed women on perceived quality of care, the frequency of self-reported complications, and whether they reported an overall positive or negative birth experience during prenatal care, labor, and delivery. Results suggest that excellent care during delivery occurs in either environment. However, continuity of care (or lack thereof) and the lack of physical space exclusively for birth negatively affected the perceived quality of the birth experience for some military families. I discuss specific recommendations for how military facilities might improve the birth experience through small structural and organizational changes to positively affect the birth environment for women leading to better birth experience outcomes.
Born in Service: Birth Experiences in Military vs. Civilian Hospitals
UNO Criss Library, Room 231
As women have increasingly entered the military or received health care as military dependents, the quintessential feminine experience of giving birth collides with an intensely masculine realm. This study examines if birth experiences differ between military and civilian health care facilities. Specifically, I interviewed women on perceived quality of care, the frequency of self-reported complications, and whether they reported an overall positive or negative birth experience during prenatal care, labor, and delivery. Results suggest that excellent care during delivery occurs in either environment. However, continuity of care (or lack thereof) and the lack of physical space exclusively for birth negatively affected the perceived quality of the birth experience for some military families. I discuss specific recommendations for how military facilities might improve the birth experience through small structural and organizational changes to positively affect the birth environment for women leading to better birth experience outcomes.