Women-centred care and caseload models of midwifery

• Published in: Collegian (Royal College of Nursing, Australia) Australia), 2003, Vol.10 (1), p.30-34
• Main Authors: Johnson, Maree, Stewart, Helen, Langdon, Rachel, Kelly, Pauline, Yong, Lian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Australia; caseload; Caseloads; Continuing care; Continuity of Patient Care - organization & administration; Continuity of Patient Care - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Care Surveys; Humans; Midwifery; Midwifery - organization & administration; Midwifery - statistics & numerical data; Models, Nursing; mothers; New South Wales; Nursing; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Partnership Practice - organization & administration; Partnership Practice - statistics & numerical data; Partnerships; Patient Satisfaction - statistics & numerical data; Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration; Patient-Centered Care - statistics & numerical data; Person centred approach; Postnatal Care - organization & administration; Postnatal Care - statistics & numerical data; Pregnancy; Prenatal Care - organization & administration; Prenatal Care - statistics & numerical data; Victoria
• ISSN: 1322-7696
• DOI: 10.1016/S1322-7696(08)60618-6

A partnership caseload model of midwifery-led practice was developed and introduced as an option of maternity care for low risk women at our local health service. To assess the benefits of this new practice model, aspects of continuity, choice, control and satisfaction were examined in women receiving Primary Health Midwifery Care (PHMC) and standard hospital care (SHC). A descriptive comparative design was used and survey data were collected using a modified version of the Mason Survey of Womens' Experience of Maternity Care from a convenience sample of women receiving PHMC (n=357) and SHC (n=202) from a large metropolitan health service. Overall, more women receiving PHMC experienced key aspects of women-centered care-choice, control and continuity than women receiving SHC. This study, within the limitations of its design and sample size, confirms that low risk women have positively responded to partnership caseload midwifery practice, and the practice model has supported women-centred care with special benefits for primipara women.