Women's experiences of continuity of midwifery care in a randomised controlled trial in Australia

Homer, CSE; Davis, GK; Cooke, M; Barclay, LM

Women's experiences of continuity of midwifery care in a randomised controlled trial in Australia

Homer, CSE

Davis, GK Cooke, M Barclay, LM

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Midwifery, 2002, 18 (2), pp. 102 - 112
Issue Date:: 2002-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Homer, CSE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7454-3011	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Davis, GK	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cooke, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Barclay, LM https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9345-3468	en_US
dc.date.issued	2002-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Midwifery, 2002, 18 (2), pp. 102 - 112	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0266-6138	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/4635
dc.description.abstract	Objective: to compare the experiences of women who received a new model of continuity of midwifery care with those who received standard hospital care during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. Design: a randomised controlled trial was conducted. One thousand and eighty-nine women were randomly allocated to either the new model of care, the St George Outreach Maternity Project (STOMP), or standard care. Women completed a postal questionnaire eight to ten weeks after the birth. Participants: women in the trial were of mixed obstetric risk status and more than half the sample were born in a non-English speaking country. Findings: questionnaires were returned from 69% of consenting women. STOMP women were significantly more likely to have talked with their midwives and doctors about their personal preferences for childbirth and more likely to report that they knew enough about aspects of labour and birth, particularly induction of labour, pain relief and caesarean section. Almost 80% of women in the STOMP group experienced continuity of care, that is, one of their team midwives was present, during labour and birth. STOMP women reported a significantly higher 'sense of control during labour and birth.' Sixty-three per cent of STOMP women reported that they 'knew' the midwife who cared for them during labour compared with 21% of control women. In a secondary analysis, women who had a midwife during labour who they felt that they knew, had a significantly higher sense of 'control' and a more positive birth experience compared with women who reported an unknown midwife. Postnatal care elicited the greatest number of negative comments from women in both the STOMP and the control group. Conclusion: The reorganisation of maternity services to enable women to receive continuity of care has benefits for women. The benefits of a known labour midwife needs further research. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Midwifery	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1054/midw.2002.0298	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Nursing	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Outcome Assessment (Health Care)	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Continuity of Patient Care	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Infant, Newborn	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Maternal-Child Health Centers	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Midwifery	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Outcome Assessment, Health Care	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Patient Satisfaction	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Pregnancy	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Quality Assurance, Health Care	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Research Design	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Surveys and Questionnaires	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Women's Health	en_US
dc.title	Women's experiences of continuity of midwifery care in a randomised controlled trial in Australia	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	18	en_US
utslib.for	111717 Primary Health Care	en_US
utslib.for	111006 Midwifery	en_US
utslib.for	1110 Nursing	en_US
utslib.for	1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine	en_US
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CHSP - Health Services and Practice
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - WHO CC
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	18	en_US

Abstract:

Objective: to compare the experiences of women who received a new model of continuity of midwifery care with those who received standard hospital care during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. Design: a randomised controlled trial was conducted. One thousand and eighty-nine women were randomly allocated to either the new model of care, the St George Outreach Maternity Project (STOMP), or standard care. Women completed a postal questionnaire eight to ten weeks after the birth. Participants: women in the trial were of mixed obstetric risk status and more than half the sample were born in a non-English speaking country. Findings: questionnaires were returned from 69% of consenting women. STOMP women were significantly more likely to have talked with their midwives and doctors about their personal preferences for childbirth and more likely to report that they knew enough about aspects of labour and birth, particularly induction of labour, pain relief and caesarean section. Almost 80% of women in the STOMP group experienced continuity of care, that is, one of their team midwives was present, during labour and birth. STOMP women reported a significantly higher 'sense of control during labour and birth.' Sixty-three per cent of STOMP women reported that they 'knew' the midwife who cared for them during labour compared with 21% of control women. In a secondary analysis, women who had a midwife during labour who they felt that they knew, had a significantly higher sense of 'control' and a more positive birth experience compared with women who reported an unknown midwife. Postnatal care elicited the greatest number of negative comments from women in both the STOMP and the control group. Conclusion: The reorganisation of maternity services to enable women to receive continuity of care has benefits for women. The benefits of a known labour midwife needs further research. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/4635