2.5.1 "What's a nice girl like you doing a job like that?". The attitudes and experiences of nurses working in abortion services (312)
Katie Gallagher, Postgraduate Research Student, School of Nursing, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom Co authors: Davina Porock & Alison Edgley Katie.Gallagher@nottingham.ac.uk
Abstract:
Background:
The concept of nursing in abortion services and the attitudes of the nurses providing abortion, has received little attention despite the debate surrounding abortion achieving huge public attention.
Aims:
The investigation had two aims; to explore the concept of nursing in abortion provision, and to discover the attitudes of nurses working in abortion services towards abortion.
Methods:
Qualitative semi structured interviews were undertaken with 9 nurses working in abortion clinics which provided abortion up until 23 plus 6 weeks gestation. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Results:
Two global themes (‘Coping with’ and ‘Attitudes towards Abortion’), six organisational themes (‘Coping with’ > Role, Clients, Late Gestation Abortion, and Reasoning; ‘Attitudes towards Abortion’ > Reasoning, Society, and Nurses) and 11 basic themes were found.
Discussion:
Nurses working in abortion services focus on the rights of the women undergoing abortion, and the exclusive decision of the women to have an abortion. Some nurses, however, find it difficult to cope with abortion at later gestations. These nurses find ways of coping with this aspect of their role which enables them to continue to provide care. Nurses are aware of the attitudes that society holds towards abortion, allowing them to protect themselves from society’s reactions through the careful dissemination of information about themselves.
Conclusion:
Despite some nurses finding aspects of their role difficult, nurses working in abortion services have found ways to resolve any differences and still provide care for women undergoing abortion. The nurses focus their care exclusively on the women accessing the services, allowing them to reconcile any tensions. This reconciliation, however, becomes more tenuous when the nurses themselves become uncomfortable with any involvement in late gestation abortions
Source of funding: UK - Research Council
Amount in £ Sterling: 10,001 - 50,000
Biography:
I qualified from the University of Nottingham in 2003, with a Masters of Nursing degree and as a registered children’s nurse. Following six months working on a children’s trauma unit, I moved into my specialist area of care, Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, at the Royal London Hospital. Whilst on this tertiary level unit, I gained my mentorship preparation qualification, and qualified as a specialist neonatal nurse. Working in such a busy environment developed an interest in areas surrounding the care of extremely premature infants and its surrounding debates, such as disability and the cross over of the abortion limits. This led to a successful application to the ESRC for a scholarship to return to Nottingham University to complete a Masters in Research Methods (MARM) and my PhD. I completed the MARM in 2006, and am currently in my second year of my PhD investigation entitled ‘Neonatal Nurses Attitudes towards Viability’. This abstract evolves from a preliminary investigation conducted into the attitudes and experiences of nurses working in abortion clinics, in order to gain a broader perspective into areas surrounding viability