Midwife-led continuity of care increases women’s satisfaction with antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care: North Shoa, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia: A quasi-experimental study

• Published in: Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives 2022-11, Vol.35 (6), p.553-562
• Main Authors: Hailemeskel, Solomon, Alemu, Kassahun, Christensson, Kyllike, Tesfahun, Esubalew, Lindgren, Helena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Continuity of care; Ethiopia; Midwife-led continuity of care; Midwifery; North Shoa; Satisfaction with care
• ISSN: 1871-5192; 1878-1799
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2022.01.005

The provision of midwife-led continuity of care (MLCC) is effective in high-resource settings in improving maternal satisfaction. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of MLCC on women’s satisfaction with care in a low-income/resource setting. A study with a quasi-experimental design was conducted from August 2019 to September 2020 in four primary hospitals in the north Shoa zone, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia. A total of 1178 low-risk women were allocated to one of two groups; the MLCC (intervention group) that received all antenatal, intrapartum, and immediate postnatal care from a primary midwife or backup midwife) (n = 589) and the shared model of care (SMC) group that received care following established practice in Ethiopia, care from different staff members at different times) (n = 589). Data for this paper were collected using face-to-face interviews at the women’s home at the end of the postpartum period. The study’s outcome was the mean sum-score of satisfaction with care through the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal period continuum, where mean sum-scores range from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Compared with SMC, MLCC was associated with statistically significantly higher satisfaction with all continuity of care (4.07 vs. 2.79 adjusted mean difference 1.27, 95% CI 1.18–1.35; p