Women’s expectations and experiences in maternity care: how do women conceptualise the process of continuity?

Abstract

Objective: to gain an understanding of how women conceptualise continuity of maternity care. Design: a qualitative study involving in-depth semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Setting: a range of urban and rural public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Participants: 53 women aged 18-44 years (median age 27 years) receiving maternity care in 2011 - 2012. Findings: responses from women suggested five types of continuity: continuity of staff, continuity of relationship, continuity of information, continuity across pregnancies, and continuity across locations. The types of continuity differed by parity and location. Conclusion and implications for practice: continuity of maternity care has a variety of meanings to women. If healthcare providers are to commit to providing woman-centred maternity care it is important to recognise the diversity of women’s experiences, and ensure that systems of care are flexible and appropriate to women’s circumstances and needs.