Inpatient versus outpatient cervical priming for induction of labour: therapeutic landscapes and women's preferences

Abstract

A qualitative study was conducted in Australia to explore women's preferences for inpatient or outpatient settings for cervical priming for induction of labour. The concept of therapeutic landscapes was used to explore the different aspects of the home and hospital that make them therapeutic to women. The therapeutic value of the home and hospital landscapes was defined by their ability to provide women with 'comfort' and 'safety', and women were found to draw on a range of contextual factors to negotiate between the comfort of home and the perceived safety of the hospital. The study provides important information for health professionals to enable them to enhance women's wellbeing should they be offered the choice of inpatient or outpatient priming.