Pain as a mutual experience for patients, nurses and families: a perspective from Lilongwe, Malawi.

The data for this study were collected in the Republic of Malawi (formerly Nyasaland), a small country in South Central Africa. Data were collected by registered nurses who were senior students in the first class of registered nurse midwives enrolled in a baccalaureate completion program who had completed a research course taught by the CUNY investigator. Fourteen women participated in the study; all were accompanied by a female relative or friend. Because of cultural norms and taboos, paternal attendance in labor settings rarely occurs and women in labor receive support from mothers, aunts and mothers-in-law. In summary, accurate estimation of patient pain among nurses and families occurred less than 25% of the time.