Social- and Health-Care Professionals’ Meetings with Multiple-Birth Families—Challenges and the Need for More Training and Education

Background: A systematic literature review shows there is a need to study how professionals work with multiple-birth families in different kinds of nursing contexts. Objective: The aim is to describe public-health nurses’ (n = 8) experiences of supporting multiple-birth families and to contribute to the understanding of working with such families. Methodology: The qualitative research study is guided by the phenomenological hermeneutic and van Manen’s methods have been used. The phenomenon was described through the concept of lifeworld: time, body, relations, and space. The data include participants’ interviews and written documents, as well as the researcher’s notes. Results: The phenomena of supporting multiple-birth families, as described by public-health nurses, can be expressed by “Recognizing the strain”, “Lightening the load of daily life” and “Targeting special needs”. Conclusions: The social-and health-care professionals met challenges in supporting multiple-birth families, and disclosed their need for training and education. There is a need for more understanding of the unique relevant needs and life situations of such families. Wellbeing and caring involves giving guidance and providing the parents with the special knowledge they need. Further research could concentrate on how evidence-based research guides the work of professionals in multi-professional teams.
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