Are the birth outcomes from a midwifery antenatal and postnatal service (MAPS) comparable to midwifery group caseload practice: A retrospective cohort study.

Mollart, L; Gibberd, A; Prussing, E; Hainsworth, N; Gillett, K; Cummins, A

Are the birth outcomes from a midwifery antenatal and postnatal service (MAPS) comparable to midwifery group caseload practice: A retrospective cohort study.

Mollart, L Gibberd, A Prussing, E Hainsworth, N Gillett, K Cummins, A

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Women Birth, 2025, 38, (2), pp. 101870
Issue Date:: 2025-03

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Mollart, L
dc.contributor.author	Gibberd, A
dc.contributor.author	Prussing, E
dc.contributor.author	Hainsworth, N
dc.contributor.author	Gillett, K
dc.contributor.author	Cummins, A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0626-3365
dc.date.accessioned	2025-08-11T03:47:34Z
dc.date.available	2025-01-07
dc.date.available	2025-08-11T03:47:34Z
dc.date.issued	2025-03
dc.identifier.citation	Women Birth, 2025, 38, (2), pp. 101870
dc.identifier.issn	1871-5192
dc.identifier.issn	1878-1799
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189329
dc.description.abstract	UNLABELLED: Midwifery continuity of care has demonstrated improved outcomes for mothers and babies including higher rates of spontaneous vaginal birth and more positive birth experiences, with health services cost savings, than non-continuity of care. However, midwives report challenges with continuity of care, such as on-call for labour/birth. Health services have responded with a new model, Midwifery Antenatal and Postnatal Service (MAPS), with care from a known midwife only during pregnancy and the early postnatal period. Women in the MAPS model have intrapartum care by rostered birth suite midwives (potentially unknown to the woman) whereas Midwifery Group Practice have a known midwife. AIM: To determine if MAPS is associated with similar perinatal outcomes for women and babies as the Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) model. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken using de-identified routinely collected maternity data. All women who booked in and gave birth with MGP or MAPS at one hospital in New South Wales, Australia between April 2022 - April 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe the data. RESULTS: A total of 1303 births were analysed (MGP=349, MAPS =954). The MGP cohort were more likely to experience spontaneous labour (< 0.001) with local anaesthesia or no analgesia, vaginal births without instruments (<0.001), and exclusive breastfeeding at discharge (0.004) compared to MAPS births. CONCLUSION: Continuity of care with a known midwife (antenatal, labour/birth, and postnatal) was associated with less intervention and improved breastfeeding rates as supported by international literature. Future research is needed comparing MAPS to standard fragmented midwifery care.
dc.format	Print-Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER
dc.relation.ispartof	Women Birth
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.wombi.2025.101870
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	11 Medical and Health Sciences
dc.subject.classification	Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
dc.subject.classification	3215 Reproductive medicine
dc.subject.classification	4204 Midwifery
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Retrospective Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Midwifery
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Continuity of Patient Care
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy Outcome
dc.subject.mesh	Prenatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Postnatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	New South Wales
dc.subject.mesh	Infant, Newborn
dc.subject.mesh	Group Practice
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy Outcome
dc.subject.mesh	Postnatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Prenatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Retrospective Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Midwifery
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Infant, Newborn
dc.subject.mesh	Group Practice
dc.subject.mesh	Continuity of Patient Care
dc.subject.mesh	New South Wales
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Retrospective Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy
dc.subject.mesh	Midwifery
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Continuity of Patient Care
dc.subject.mesh	New South Wales
dc.subject.mesh	Prenatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Postnatal Care
dc.subject.mesh	Group Practice
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy Outcome
dc.subject.mesh	Cohort Studies
dc.subject.mesh	Infant, Newborn
dc.subject.mesh	Workload
dc.title	Are the birth outcomes from a midwifery antenatal and postnatal service (MAPS) comparable to midwifery group caseload practice: A retrospective cohort study.
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	38
utslib.location.activity	Netherlands
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/School of Nursing and Midwifery
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-08-11T03:47:32Z
pubs.issue	2
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	38
utslib.citation.issue	2

Abstract:

UNLABELLED: Midwifery continuity of care has demonstrated improved outcomes for mothers and babies including higher rates of spontaneous vaginal birth and more positive birth experiences, with health services cost savings, than non-continuity of care. However, midwives report challenges with continuity of care, such as on-call for labour/birth. Health services have responded with a new model, Midwifery Antenatal and Postnatal Service (MAPS), with care from a known midwife only during pregnancy and the early postnatal period. Women in the MAPS model have intrapartum care by rostered birth suite midwives (potentially unknown to the woman) whereas Midwifery Group Practice have a known midwife. AIM: To determine if MAPS is associated with similar perinatal outcomes for women and babies as the Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) model. METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken using de-identified routinely collected maternity data. All women who booked in and gave birth with MGP or MAPS at one hospital in New South Wales, Australia between April 2022 - April 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe the data. RESULTS: A total of 1303 births were analysed (MGP=349, MAPS =954). The MGP cohort were more likely to experience spontaneous labour (< 0.001) with local anaesthesia or no analgesia, vaginal births without instruments (<0.001), and exclusive breastfeeding at discharge (0.004) compared to MAPS births. CONCLUSION: Continuity of care with a known midwife (antenatal, labour/birth, and postnatal) was associated with less intervention and improved breastfeeding rates as supported by international literature. Future research is needed comparing MAPS to standard fragmented midwifery care.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/189329