Obstetrics in Nursing, Research Paper Example

Abstract

The nursing profession is faced with so many challenges on a day to day basis. They range from inadequate technology advanced methods of treatment to the diverse problems by patients and the risk in dealing with them. In obstetrics, the nurses specialize in taking care of pregnant women and their unborn babies, during birth and the first few weeks after delivery.

The main problem is not only in delivering patients but it starts way back, during pre-natal care. Pregnancy involves complications which may include dehydration, back and abdominal pain, hemorrhoids, ectopic pregnancy and abruption of the placenta. Most of these complications can get fatal and this puts the profession at a risk of litigation and has other challenges such as time and economic restraints as stated by Martell (2006). Sometimes it is also difficult to deal with some patients because they are not amenable to the intervention of the nurses. The practice in dealing with obstetrical patients may sometimes be not up to the required standards or may not measure up to the desirable level. The nurses therefore have to come up ways to deal with these issues.

It is important for an obstetric nurse to have solutions to these problems in their fingertips because some of them call for emergency intervention. They should also advice patients to visit the clinic more often so that they can get adequate prenatal instruction and have continuous obstetric care. Riesco (1998) uses the Social Representation Theory to examine the evolution of nursing in obstetrics. This study seeks to determine whether nurse care minimizes the peril of cesarean delivery and research shows that these abnormalities in labor and distress of the fetus occur less when the patient is cared for by a nurse.

Using E-University’s (n.d) suggestion, the phases of the research would be as follows:

Problem Statement

This is the problem that necessitates the study and the need is to be resolved by the study. it should also illustrate its importance to the nursing profession.

Study Purpose

This answers the question why the study is vital to undertake.

Research Question\Hypotheses

There has to be a research question in which the study will be answering and this gives the course of direction.

Conceptual Model\Theoretical Framework

In the case where a conceptual model/theoretical framework guided the study, it is essential to explain ways in which this was achieved.

Review of Related Literature

How did literature review support the importance of the study?

Target Population, Sample, Setting

Now that the target population is the obstetric nurses and patients, are these samples enough?

Data Collection Methods

Which data collection methods and analysis procedures were used and how appropriate were they?

References

E-University’s (n.d). Understanding Evidence Based Practice And The Research Utilization Proposal Project. Retrieved on May 31 from http://www.childbirths.com/euniversity/researchutilization.htm

Martell, L.K. (2006). From innovation to common practice: perinatal nursing pre-1970 to 2005. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. .20(1):8-16.

Riesco, M.L. (1998). Obstetric nurses: the social inheritance of midwives and nurses. Rev Lat Am Enfermagem. 6(2):13-5.