Abstract
Objective: To investigate midwives' experiences of using carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring for smoking cessation in pregnancy as part of routine antenatal care for pregnant women. Design: A qualitative design based on descriptive phenomenology was used. Purposive and snowball sampling was used to recruit midwives that use or have used the carbon monoxide breath test in the UK. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants: The ten midwives interviewed had used the CO breath test in different ways. Their work experience ranged from one to over 20 years. Findings: Time constraints, lack of training, and unclear referral pathways were found to be significant barriers to the implementation of CO monitoring as routine practice. Overall participants were positive about it and found it was easy to use. Being sensitive and non-judgmental was considered essential to avoid women feeling guilty about smoking and being supportive of quit attempts. Key conclusions: This study suggests that despite initial concerns the test seems to be generally accepted by midwives. The importance of having a clear referral pathway and support network with links to a smoking cessation specialist midwife was highlighted in this study. Implications for practice: Time constraints at the booking appointment were an identified barrier. Involvement of auxiliary staff to support the midwife in offering the CO breath test could help to overcome this. Further research is needed to determine effective referral pathways to support more women to stop smoking during pregnancy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 453-458 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Midwives Midwifery Digest (MIDIRS) |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2014 |
