Classification of sudden infant death vs., nursing practices addressed sleeping position: Configurative domains observed in key references

This study illuminates discursive domains regarding definitions, measurement characteristics and gender configurations appearing in original articles concerning sudden infant death syndrome. In particular discourses in nursing and public health recommendations, related to sleeping positions among newborn children, are in focus within the review. Twelve internationally published references, repeatedly referred to in the Swedish Medical Journal from 1 January 1990 to 6 March 2007 was, thus, scrutinized by using a qualitative systematic review triangulated with a discourse analytical approach recognizing gender as socially constructed. The findings revealed that gender as socially constructed was ignored throughout the key references reviewed with minor exceptions, thus, dispersing a knowledge-mediated gender bias of the mothers, the fathers and other guardians/caregivers were totally out of the gaze. Lack of homogeneity and compatibility was discovered regarding both definitions and measurement characteristics used. Supine sleeping position of newborns was consistently recommended within the items scrutinized. The study advocates that the order of gender is important for the quality of health recommendations and has to be recognized in infant nursing practices and in child health research. Further studies are encouraged to examine the reliability in cause-of-death recordings, risk managements vs., nursing practices for newborn children.