The Prepared Partner: Can a Video Game Teach Labor and Childbirth Support Techniques?

The experience of childbirth is highly individualized. Proper preparation and support before, during, and after the onset of labor is key to shortening labor, decreasing the need for interventions during labor, and ultimately increasing maternal happiness. This paper reports the evaluation of The Prepared Partner, a simple game with goals to introduce natural ways to help a woman in labor, and their effects on labor; to introduce the mechanics of labor and childbirth; to practice interacting with a woman in labor; and to simulate the stages of labor. The user evaluation of The Prepared Partner showed an overwhelming majority of positive responses to the subjective portion of the study, and showed participants performed significantly better on a post-test about labor and childbirth than on a pre-test (p < 0.01). Furthermore, labor support was a major theme in a write-in question about childbirth, thus highlighting the effectiveness of The Prepared Partner in introducing the profound need for supporting a woman throughout birth.