Midwives’ insights in relation to the common barriers in providing effective perinatal care to women from ethnic minority groups with ‘high risk’ pregnancies: A qualitative study

Community midwives' perspectives on perinatal care for asylum seekers and refugees in the Netherlands: A survey study

“…Almost all midwives in this study agreed that ending the relocation of pregnant AS would greatly benefit quality of care. Many studies have highlighted the importance of the patient‐care provider relationship in migrant populations and therefore consider continuity of care to be of key importance 7,23,25 . Our study adds to a growing body of evidence on the negative effects of relocations on continuity of care and the wellbeing of clients 7,11,13,34 .…”

“…Many studies have highlighted the importance of the patient‐care provider relationship in migrant populations and therefore consider continuity of care to be of key importance 7,23,25 . Our study adds to a growing body of evidence on the negative effects of relocations on continuity of care and the wellbeing of clients 7,11,13,34 . There is an urgent need for policy revisions related to relocation of AS women during pregnancy and early motherhood.…”

“…Furthermore, results indicate that caring for AS and RPP populations comes with an increased emotional and practical burden for midwives, which is in line with previous studies in the field. 4,7,24,25,34 This burden may partially reflect the vulnerable situation of AS and RPP, which appears to push midwives beyond the boundaries of their role as strictly obstetric care providers, for example, when offering support for practical, financial, and transportation issues. 7 Midwives in this study also struggled with a lack of referral options to psychological care for AS and RPP, while perceiving a high need for such care and for psychosocial support programs.…”

“…4,7,24,25,34 This burden may partially reflect the vulnerable situation of AS and RPP, which appears to push midwives beyond the boundaries of their role as strictly obstetric care providers, for example, when offering support for practical, financial, and transportation issues. 7 Midwives in this study also struggled with a lack of referral options to psychological care for AS and RPP, while perceiving a high need for such care and for psychosocial support programs. These needs are confirmed by the high rates of perinatal mental health disorders found in forcibly displaced populations in high-income settings (48.2% for PTSD, 41.8% for anxiety and 42.0% for depression 14 ).…”

A midwifery team's journey implementing and sustaining continuity of care

“…Six months later, in December 2020, Public Health England issued a report on tackling inequalities to address access to and engagement with maternity care (Davison, Wiseman and Olander, 2020). As continuity teams have also been identified as being important in addressing such inequalities (Chitongo et al, 2022), a new continuity team was mandated in a large teaching hospital. This article will describe the implementation of this team, and also the associated challenges, learnings, recommendations and sustainability to assist others embarking upon similar journeys.…”