Mengmei Yuan

Aim: To establish and clarify the concept of ‘prenatal rehabilitation’ within maternal health management by identifying its defining attributes, antecedents and consequences. Design: A concept analysis. Methods: Walker and Avant's concept analysis method was employed to identify the antecedents, attributes and consequences of prenatal rehabilitation. Data sources: Comprehensive searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Medline, CINAHL, CNKI, VIP, WanFang and CBM databases from their inception to November 2024. Dictionary sources, grey literature and manual reference checks were also utilised to capture diverse perspectives related to ‘prenatal rehabilitation’. Results: A total of 34 studies were included. Five defining attributes of prenatal rehabilitation were identified: (1) dual therapeutic and preventive functions, (2) proactive and dynamic integrated interventions, (3) focus on specific physiological needs during pregnancy, (4) goal-oriented towards functional recovery and birth readiness and (5) foundation and facilitation for postpartum rehabilitation. Antecedents included pregnancy-induced dysfunction and discomfort, individual characteristics and external resources. Consequences were improved maternal outcomes, better neonatal health indicators and decreased utilisation of healthcare resources. Conclusion: A clarifying definition and conceptual model of prenatal rehabilitation was developed, highlighting its proactive, personalised and multidisciplinary nature in promoting maternal health management. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for clinical practice and future research.

Background: While there exists an ample body of research in international contexts focused on the characterization and quantification of infertility psychological distress, the level of scholarly scrutiny directed towards this phenomenon within the context of China remains scant.Aims and Objectives: To investigate the formation and developmental processes of psychological distress associated with infertility and infertility treatment among women within the Chinese cultural context and to construct a theoretical framework that elucidates this phenomenon.Design: Qualitative approach with grounded theory methodology.Methods: This study was conducted within the reproductive medicine department of a tertiary‐level hospital located in central China from May to August 2023. Twenty‐seven women who experienced infertility and underwent assisted reproductive treatment (ART) were interviewed. The interview sessions spanned durations ranging from 20 min to 1 h and 35 min. Data analysis included open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The study is reported using the COREQ checklist.Results: The infertility psychological distress experienced by women undergoing ART is a socially constructed phenomenon influenced by a dynamic interplay of forces that construct and conciliate it. The formation and progression of infertility psychological distress are rooted in the process of self‐construction. A Middle‐Ranged Theory titled ‘self‐reconstruction under the dome of infertility and infertility treatment’ (SUDIT theory) was developed to explain this phenomenon. Within this framework, infertility psychological distress manifests across three distinct phases under the gambling of the constructive force and conciliative force: (1) distress of disrupting the former self; (2) distress linked to the struggling present self; and (3) the renewed‐self harmonized with distress.Conclusions: It is imperative for healthcare professionals and policymakers to acknowledge the socially constructed nature of infertility psychological distress, and proactively implement measures aimed at ameliorating it.Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution.

Aims and objectives: This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the illness experience of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients in China and the meaning they attach to those experiences.Background: ALS is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder that significantly impacts individuals and families. There is a large number of patients with ALS in China. However, little is known about how they live with ALS.Design: Phenomenological qualitative research was performed among twenty people with ALS from the neurology department of a tertiary hospital in China. Colaizzi's method was used to analyse the participants’ data. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) was used as a guideline to secure accurate and complete reporting of the study.Results: We proposed three themes and eight subthemes on the illness experience of participants: (1) life countdown: ‘my body was frozen’ (body out of control and inward suffering); (2) family self‐help: ‘we kept an eye on each other’ (family warmth and hardship, and supporting the supporter); and (3) reconstruction of life: ‘what was the meaning of my life’ (learning to accept, rebuilding self‐worth, resetting the priority list and living in the moment).Conclusions: In the family self‐help model, patients are prompted to turn from negative mentalities to search for meaning in life actively. Healthcare providers need to attach importance to the family self‐help model to alleviate the pressure on medical resources.Relevance to clinical practice: Healthcare providers should encourage patients to play a supportive role in the family and provide more care support and professional care knowledge guidance to caregivers, to promote the formation of the family self‐help model which might help to improve the experience of patients and families.