Parental experience of bedside handover during childbirth: A qualitative interview study

•All parents expressed a desire to be involved in handover and to have access to the information related to their respective child’s birth.•The parents put great focus upon non-verbal communication and the body language among midwives during handover was important to the overall experience.•What parents appreciated about bedside handover was that they experienced a sense of control when handing over the care from one midwife to the next took place in their presence.•Some of the parents stated that the patient’s possibility to adapt the information must be taken into consideration during the handover. It has been described that bedside reporting can contribute to patient safety and increase patient involvement in healthcare. To our knowledge, however, there is no existing research on bedside handover during labour. The aim of this study was to examine the patient’s experiences of bedside handover during labour. A qualitative design was used. Nineteen couples were interviewed after childbirth regarding their experiences of bedside handover during delivery. Twelve of those had experienced bedside handover and were, thereby, included in the study. The interviews were performed in a delivery ward in Stockholm during January 2018. The material was analysed according to content analysis. Four main categories emerged from the data: non-verbal communication, verbal communication, concerns, and birth experience. In general, bedside handover was perceived to be positive, the participants felt they were treated professionally, and that they had been involved during the handover. One advantage with the handover was the possibility for parents to confirm the sharing of information during the handover, which made them feel secure. Moreover, most of the parents reported they received good treatment and had a good labour experience. Parents’ experiences of bedside handover and midwives’ support were summarised as follows: midwives used common words and avoided using medical terminology, and they kept eye contact with the woman and her partner. Bedside handover was experienced by both parents as a way of being positively included in the care of their newborn. The caregivers were described as being attentive, respectful, and were good listeners.