Labor and Delivery Registered Nurses' Approaches Towards Supporting Parturients Experiencing Language Barriers: An Interpretive Description Study

Abstract

Background: Many migrant parturients (an individual in labor or giving birth) can face complex pregnancy outcomes due to language barriers, financial constraints, and inadequate healthcare access. Despite the recognized importance of effective communication in care provision, a gap exists among healthcare providers’ knowledge and practice, leading to suboptimal communication and limited patient autonomy in intrapartum care. The challenge of language barriers on parturients’ experiences and care delivery processes received during childbirth emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive, culturally responsive interventions. Research Aim: The significance of this study is to understand whether labor and delivery nurses, who have a crucial role in providing care to patients experiencing language barriers, are adequately prepared to navigate this challenge. The aim is to investigate registered nurses’ experiences caring for parturients amidst language barriers in the intrapartum setting. Methods: This study used a qualitative interpretive description methodology with purposive sampling to recruit 10 registered nurses working in Edmonton, Alberta with a minimum of one year of labor and delivery experience, aiming for diverse perspectives on handling language barriers. We used ongoing theoretical sampling to refine the phenomenon, collected data through semi-structured interviews, focusing on participants' experiences. Data analysis involved line-by-line coding, and an iterative, constant comparative process to generate clinically meaningful insights. Results: The study identified key strategies and challenges in managing language barriers in intrapartum care. Nonverbal communication techniques—such as gestures, therapeutic touch, and tone modulation—help foster rapport and alleviate anxiety, though their effectiveness depends on cultural expectations. Supportive tools, like Language Line and pictorial aids, are inconsistently used, leading to reliance on less accurate ad hoc solutions. Teamwork and a parturient-centered approach can improve communication, but staff attitudes, communication barriers, and delays in care pose significant risks. Informed consent is often compromised due to lack of accessibility to translation services. Participants call for expanded interpreter access, clear policies, multilingual educational resources, and culturally responsive training to ensure equitable care. Addressing these systemic gaps is crucial to improving care experiences and outcomes for non-English-speaking parturients in intrapartum settings. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for culturally and linguistically responsive maternity care, emphasizing professional interpreters, policy reforms, and structural changes to mitigate health disparities.