Pregnant women's experiences of online prenatal education in Korea during COVID-19: a phenomenological study.
Hyun Kyoung Kim, Geum Hee Jeong, Hye Young Min
PMID 39385546WHAT IT FOUND
Pregnant women found online prenatal education safe and convenient, allowing them to learn from home without travel or infection risk.
However, they felt isolated by the lack of interaction, hesitant to ask personal questions, and distracted by the passive nature of the lectures.
Key findings
01Participants valued the ability to attend sessions from home, which reduced infection risks and logistical burdens like travel and childcare.
02Women reported frustration with the one-way nature of lectures, feeling isolated from peers and hesitant to ask personal questions due to fear of judgment or delaying the session.
03Digital education was seen as a double-edged sword: visual aids enhanced understanding, but the relaxed home environment led to passive learning, poor concentration, and memory retention issues.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted during strict pandemic restrictions when face-to-face education was unavailable, so participants could not directly compare online and in-person experiences. The sample was small (12 women) and limited to one public health center in Korea, which may limit the transferability of findings to other populations or settings. Interviews were conducted remotely, which may have limited the ability to observe non-verbal cues and deepen the exploration of experiences.
Declared interests
One author serves as an associate editor for the journal but was not involved in the review process. The study was funded by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the findings as evidence that online prenatal education is less effective than face-to-face education for health outcomes. This study describes subjective experiences of safety, comfort, and interaction during a specific pandemic context, not clinical efficacy.