Effects of a nurse-led navigation program for first-time pregnant Korean women on maternal anxiety and childbirth confidence: a quasi-experimental study

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of a navigation program for first-time pregnant women on anxiety and childbirth confidence among primigravidas at 35 weeks of gestation.Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 56 primigravidas (28 experimental, 28 control) at 35 weeks of gestation or greater, who were receiving antenatal care at the obstetrics outpatient clinic of a general hospital in Changwon, Korea. The control group was recruited first and was given the standard admission education for childbirth provided in the outpatient clinic. The experimental group participated in a 3-week navigation program for pregnant women, delivered by a nurse navigator through individual face-to-face sessions. The navigator role was to assess individual needs and provide continuous, one-to-one, tailored education and emotional support to guide primigravidas throughout the childbirth process. Pretest and posttest data were collected for childbirth confidence and anxiety. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square tests, Fisher exact test, and the Mann-Whitney U test.Results: The experimental group showed a greater reduction in anxiety(t=–6.15, p<.001) and a greater increase in childbirth confidence(z=−5.70, p<.001) compared to the control group.Conclusion: The 3-week navigation program for first-time pregnant women was effective in reducing anxiety and enhancing childbirth confidence during pregnancy. Findings can be used by nurses to apply individualized, nurse-led navigation as part of comprehensive maternity care for primigravidas across pregnancy, childbirth, and early postpartum periods in clinical settings.