Exploring The Non-Medical Ultrasound Scan - A postphenomenological study of maternal effects
Author
Lyster-Clausen, Anna
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-05-29
Abstract
Ikke-medicinske ultralydsskanninger er blevet udbredte i danske graviditeter, men deres betydning for gravides erfaringer er kun delvist belyst. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan sådanne skanninger påvirker kvinder i lavrisikograviditeter gennem en eksplorativ, postfænomenologisk tilgang med medieringsteori som analytisk ramme. Empirisk bygger studiet på fire semistrukturerede interviews med gravide samt etnografiske feltobservationer i private klinikker, hvor skanningerne udføres. Det indsamlede materiale blev kodet og udfoldet i fem temaer: kvindernes referenceramme, omverdenen og sundhedsprofessionelle, fortællingen om (u)sikkerhed og (u)vished, en mulighed for eksistentiel information og viden samt service og kommercialisering. Analysen viser, at relationen mellem teknologien og de gravide medieres på forskellige måder og leder til en række effekter, som overordnet knytter sig til bedre mestring og håndtering af graviditeten. Afslutningsvis peger drøftelsen på behov for yderligere undersøgelser og overvejelser for at forme ansvarlige praksisser omkring ikke-medicinske ultralydsskanninger.
Non-medical ultrasound scans have become common in Danish pregnancies, yet their impact on expectant mothers’ experiences remains only partly understood. This thesis explores how such scans affect women in low-risk pregnancies through an exploratory postphenomenological approach, using mediation theory as the analytical lens. Empirically, it draws on four semi-structured interviews with pregnant women and ethnographic field observations in private clinics where these scans are performed. The material was coded and organized into five themes: women’s frames of reference; the outside world and health professionals; the story of (in)security and (un)certainty; an opportunity for existential information and knowledge; and service and commercialization. The analysis shows that the relationship between the technology and the women is mediated in multiple ways and results in a variety of effects that, overall, relate to improved coping and management of pregnancy. The discussion highlights the need for further inquiry and reflection to inform responsible practices around non-medical ultrasound scans.
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