“I Was Relieved to Know That My Baby Was Safe”: Women’s Attitudes and Perceptions on Using a New Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitor during Labor in Tanzania

Sara Rivenes Lafontan, Johanne Sundby, Hege L. Ersdal, Muzdalifat Abeid, Hussein L. Kidanto and Columba K. Mbekenga
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Sara Rivenes Lafontan: Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Forskningsveien 3A, 0373 Oslo, Norway
Johanne Sundby: Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Forskningsveien 3A, 0373 Oslo, Norway
Hege L. Ersdal: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway
Muzdalifat Abeid: Temeke Regional Referral Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Hussein L. Kidanto: Ministry of Health Community Development Gender Elderly and Children, Dodoma, Tanzania
Columba K. Mbekenga: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: To increase labor monitoring and prevent neonatal morbidity and mortality, a new wireless, strap-on electronic fetal heart rate monitor called Moyo was introduced in Tanzania in 2016. As part of the ongoing evaluation of the introduction of the monitor, the aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of women who had worn the monitor continuously during their most recent delivery and perceptions about how it affected care. This knowledge is important to identify barriers towards adaptation in order to introduce new technology more effectively. We carried out 20 semi-structured individual interviews post-labor at two hospitals in Tanzania. A thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data. Our results indicated that the use of the monitor positively affected the women’s birth experience. It provided much-needed reassurance about the wellbeing of the child. The women considered that wearing Moyo improved care due to an increase in communication and attention from birth attendants. However, the women did not fully understand the purpose and function of the device and overestimated its capabilities. This highlights the need to improve how and when information is conveyed to women in labor.

Keywords: Tanzania; low-resource setting; labor care; laboring women’s attitudes; (electronic) fetal heart rate monitoring; labor monitoring; health literacy; informed consent; Moyo; wireless fetal heart rate monitor (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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