Salutogenic midwifery practice in terms of thermal imaging

Background: Health oriented care in terms of salutogenic theory has been described in qualitative studies exploring specific characteristics of health oriented maternity care. However there is currently no method which can... [ view full abstract ]

Background: Health oriented care in terms of salutogenic theory has been described in qualitative studies exploring specific characteristics of health oriented maternity care. However there is currently no method which can quantitatively distinguish health oriented and clinically oriented practice, providing both numerical and imaging data. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore whether it is possible to make a distinction between health oriented and clinically oriented midwives by using infrared thermal imaging as well as providing specific measurable characteristics.

Methods: The study began with two midwives being assessed to determine their professional health orientation. Following this, a consulting session of a professionally health oriented midwife was compared to a consulting session of a midwife with a clinical professional orientation. Both sessions were assessed using thermal imaging and voice recording.

Results: Two distinct profiles emerged from the analysis of the thermal images: while the health oriented midwife showed significant changes in facial, neck and hand temperature, both in terms of temperature values and temperature diffusion, there were almost no changes in the thermal images taken of the clinically oriented midwife. To substantiate this, a classical content analysis of the voice recording taken during the consultation was undertaken showing that both midwives were following the assumed health oriented (salutogenic) or clinical approach. The results of this study showed that thermal imaging could be used to describe health oriented practice and two patterns according to different orientations can clearly be observed.

Discussion/Conclusion: This is the first time thermal imaging has ever been used in conjunction with psychological measures. One biological explanation for the observed temperature differences could be that it is secondary to vasodilation caused by production of oxytocin in the midwife who was assessed as having an empathic salutogenic orientation. However, a study of only two cases is highly subject to bias, therefore funding has been obtained to test the findings with a larger sample in future research. This presentation will include anonymised serial thermal images to illustrate our emerging hypothesis.