Prenatal and Labor Experiences of Immigrant Mothers in Finland: Interventions to Improve Cultural-Sensitive Nursing Care

Abstract

Finland has seen a rise in immigration over the past couple of decades. This increased number of foreigners come from different cultural backgrounds, making the Finnish society more culturally diverse. Immigrant pregnant women are seen to have more negative experiences, and worse pregnancy outcomes in the maternal care system, as compared to Finnish native women. This phenomenon is seen to be the same in Nordic countries as well as other countries that have had longer histories of immigration. This literature review was done with the aim of improving the pregnancy experiences of migrant women in Finland. Its purpose is to provide interventions that can be used to improve culturally sensitive nursing care. The study aimed to answer the following question: What interventions can be used to improve culturally sensitive maternal nursing care? The databases that were used to collect the articles were PubMed, CINAHL and Medline, and through a direct google search. Using inclusion and exclusion criteria and through thorough analysis of the literature articles, 11 suitable articles were chosen to be used. The articles’ content was analyzed, and the result of the analyses used to answer the research question. The results revealed four main intervention themes: ‘enhance cultural knowledge’, ‘patient-centered care, inclusive patient involvement and continuum of care’, ‘communication and language’, and ‘community involvement’. Countries with longer immigration histories provide an example to a young multicultural nation like Finland on how unaddressed disparities in maternal care system can lead to further escalation of the negative pregnancy experiences. Interventions should therefore be put in place to improve culturally sensitive maternal nursing care.