Use of Interpretive Ethnographic Approaches to Understand Women with Perinatal Risks

Aim.  The aim of this presentation is to describe the use of clinical interpretive ethnography to better understand how women negotiate the incursion of the culture of biomedicine into their lives in high risk perinatal situations.

Background:  Those who share a clinical experience can be considered cultural subgroups. Biomedicine has been described by anthropologists as a unique culture, with underlying beliefs, values, underlying their behavior. The biomedical culture is highly technologized and is focused on treatment of sickness and repair of physiological function. Managing risk and observational are also included, but may be argued as marginal to the ethos of the biomedical system.  

Method.  The studies presented focus on women with high risk pregnancies and high risk neonates. These will be analyzed through an ethnographic lens related to the experiences of their experiences of intense interaction with the technological biomedical system during what is also a natural process of mothering.

Findings.    The women in these studies describe their attempts to normalize their pregnancies and highlight how they navigate the difficulty of accomplishing the developmental tasks of becoming a mother in a hospital environment.  They also describe the paradox of using a breast pump that simultaneously separates as it connect them with their infants.

Conclusions. Ethnographic research, tailored to increase understanding about those sharing a cultural subgroup of a common biomedical experience, can enhance provider cultural competence. The implications of these findings can lead to more sensitive nursing care while facilitating the mothering role.