Research Article

Manual and Electroacupuncture for Labour Pain: Study Design of a Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial

Table 4

Content of questionnaires, before treatment (Q1), and postnatal questionnaires (Q2–Q4).

ConceptResponse alternativeQuestionnaire

Previous acupuncture experienceYes for pain/Yes for other than pain/NoQ1
DysmenorrheaYes, if so, estimation on VAS/NoQ1
Worry of pain in daily life*Not at all worried/Not very worried/Quite worried/Very worriedQ1
Worry of labour pain*Not at all worried/Not very worried/Quite worried/Very worriedQ1
Sociodemographic backgroundEducation/Ancestral homeland/Parents citizenshipQ1
Postnatal valuation of treatment effect on pain and relaxation (MA and EA)Very effective/Rather effective/Not very effective/Not effective at allQ2, Q3, Q4
Use this treatment again? (EA, MA)Yes/NoQ2, Q3, Q4
Negative side effects (EA, MA)Yes, if so, description of side effects/NoQ2, Q3, Q4
Prelabour worries for: (a) labour pain*, (b) not enough pain relief, (c) not enough support from midwifeNot at all worried/Not very worried/Quite worried/Very worriedQ3
Support from midwife during labourYes to a high extent/Yes to a rather high extent/No to a rather low extent/No not at allQ3, Q4
Overall experience of pain during labourVASQ3, Q4
Overall experience of relaxation during labourVASQ3, Q4
Experienced labour pain in relation to expected**Much more severe than expected/More severe than expected/As expected/Milder than expected/Much milder than expectedQ3, Q4
Assessment of midwife’s acupuncture skills (EA, MA)Very competent/Quite competent/Not very competent/Not competent at allQ3, Q4
Overall assessment of pain reliefVery effective/Rather effective/Not very effective/Not effective at allQ3, Q4
Sufficiency of pain reliefEnough/Not enoughQ3, Q4
Emotions during labour*Strong/Weak/Happy/Sad/Calm/ Frightened/Alert/ Tired/Secure/Worried/Involved/Lonely/
Detached/Independent/Empowered/ Abandoned/Determined/Tense/Trust in my own capacity/Challenged/Focused/Panic/Disappointed/Present
Q3, Q4
Emotions during labour, overallPositive/NegativeQ3, Q4
Perception of the midwife*Calm/Rushed/Supportive/Unhelpful/Clear/
Incompetent/Rude/Humorous/Inconsiderate/Sensitive/
Bossy/Absent/Warm/Nonchalant/Secure/Condescending/
Considerate/Competent/Vague/Informative/
Insensitive/Supportive
Q3, Q4
Overall perception of the midwifePositive/NegativeQ3, Q4
Why participate in this study?Open-endedQ3
Satisfaction with the allocation.Yes satisfied/No, if so, which allocation would you have preferred?Q3
Overall birth experienceVery positive/Positive/Mixed feelings/Negative/Very negativeQ3, Q4
Depressive symptomsEdinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale††Q4
Experience of participating in this studyPositive/NegativeQ4

Q1–4: questionnaire 1–4, VAS: visual analogue scale, MA: manual acupuncture, EA: electroacupuncture.
*Schytt et al. [32], adjusted for this study, **Experience of pregnancy and delivery, the women's perspective [33], Waldenström [34], ††Wickberg and Hwang [35], and Murray and Carothers [36].