Trust in maternity care: challenges for healthcare professionals and migrant women

Abstract

Migrant women have a greater potential to experience limits when using maternity care than non-migrant women; therefore, they have a greater risk of vulnerability. Vulnerability and barriers to maternity care have the potential to erode trust, which is an important aspect of maternity care in general. In this exploratory qualitative study, we analyzed factors influencing trust in interactions between migrant women and healthcare professionals in maternity care. In total, 71 in-depth interviews were conducted with migrant women and healthcare professionals in the Czech Republic. Migrant women generally trust medical care, and healthcare professionals trust the capacity of women's bodies and their expertise. Unfortunately, in relation to women giving birth, healthcare professionals do not see the importance of building or strengthening trust but appreciate obedience, no matter what it is based on. In this context, healthcare professionals are limited by the routinization of care and a lack of time. Consequently, migrant women have a higher probability of being excluded from maternal care as active agents, which increases their vulnerable position.