Barriers and facilitators of experiencing pregnancy and motherhood with congenital heart disease: A secondary qualitative analysis.
Greta Ghizzardi, Rosario Caruso, Serena Barello and 5 others
PMID 35871467WHAT IT FOUND
Women with congenital heart disease described fears of passing the condition to children and anxiety about their own mortality as key barriers.
Support from partners, trusting relationships with clinicians, and involving children in care helped them cope.
Key findings
01Mothers feared transmitting heart disease to their children and worried that their own early death would leave them without a mother.
02A trusting relationship with healthcare providers helped women feel peaceful and supported during pregnancy and after childbirth.
03Accepting help from partners and family, and involving children in discussions about the disease, served as key coping mechanisms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only twelve women from a single centre in Italy, limiting the transferability of findings to other cultural or socioeconomic contexts. The data were originally collected for a different purpose, which may mean some aspects of the research question were not fully explored. The sample was homogeneous, consisting only of white Italian women with a similar strong social network, which may not reflect the experiences of women with fewer resources.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these coping strategies as evidence that specific nursing interventions improve clinical outcomes. This study describes patients' lived experiences and perceptions, not the effectiveness of care models.