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Cited by 53Indigenous Health, Education, and RightsMaternal and Perinatal Health InterventionsCultural Competency in Health Care

Models of midwifery care for Indigenous women and babies: A meta-synthesis

Open access
Corcoran, Patricia M., Catling, Christine, Homer, Caroline S.E.·2017·Women and Birth
DOI 10.1016/j.wombi.2016.08.003
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Abstract

ISSUE: Indigenous women in many countries experience a lack of access to culturally appropriate midwifery services. A number of models of care have been established to provide services to women. Research has examined some services, but there has not been a synthesis of qualitative studies of the models of care to help guide practice development and innovations. AIM: To undertake a review of qualitative studies of midwifery models of care for Indigenous women and babies evaluating the different types of services available and the experiences of women and midwives. METHODS: A meta-synthesis was undertaken to examine all relevant qualitative studies. The literature search was limited to English-language published literature from 2000-2014. Nine qualitative studies met the inclusion criteria and literature appraisal - six from Australia and three from Canada. These articles were analysed for coding and theme development. FINDINGS: The major themes were valuing continuity of care, managing structural issues, having negative experiences with mainstream services and recognising success. DISCUSSION: The most positive experiences for women were found with the services that provided continuity of care, had strong community links and were controlled by Indigenous communities. Overall, the experience of the midwifery services for Indigenous women was valuable. Despite this, there were still barriers preventing the provision of intrapartum midwifery care in remote areas. CONCLUSION: The expansion of midwifery models of care for Indigenous women and babies could be beneficial in order to improve cultural safety, experiences and outcomes in relation to pregnancy and birth.

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  • Women from Indigenous communities reported having built better relationships with midwives, and their cultural norms were respected.

    “In a meta-analysis study focusing on the experiences of women from Indigenous communities, it was found that the women reported to have built better relationships with the midwives, and their cultural norms were respected [17].”

    From Women’s perceptions of midwifery continuity of care provided by bachelor of midwifery students from a public university in Northern Uganda: a descriptive qualitative study (2026) · cites this paper as [17]

    The Findings (page not given) report that continuity of care helped Indigenous women build trusting relationships with midwives. The Cultural background of staff section (page not given) describes culturally appropriate care in some services, but does not establish that women generally reported their cultural norms being respected. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Australian Health Ministers Conference. National Maternity Services Plan 2010. In: Conference AHM, editor. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2011.
  2. Kildea S, Van Wagner V. 'Birthing on Country', maternity service delivery models: A review of the literature. In: Council AHMsA, editor. Sydney: An evidence check rapid review brokered by the Sax Institute on behalf of the Maternity Services Inter- Jurisdictional Committee for the Australian Health Minister's Advisory Council; 2012.
  3. Kildea S, Magick Dennis F, Stapleton H. Birthing on Country workshop report, Alice Springs, 4 July 2012. In: Council AHMsA, editor. Brisbane: Australian Catholic University and Mater Medical Research Unit on behalf of the Maternity Services Inter- Jurisdictional Committee for the Australian Health Minister's Advisory Council; 2013.

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Authors
Corcoran, P. M., Catling, C., & Homer, C. S. E.
Affiliations
University of Technology Sydney (AU)
Corresponding author
Corcoran, Patricia M.
ORCID
Venue
Women and Birth
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-02
Volume
30
Issue
1
Pages
77-86
ISSN
1871-5192 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.wombi.2016.08.003
OpenAlex
W2510516500
Cited by
53
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2
FWCI
3.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Women and Birth (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Cultural Competency in Health Care
Keywords
indigenous women, continuity of care, community-controlled health services, remote areas, cultural safety, barriers to care, midwives' experiences, women's experiences of childbirth
MeSH terms
Workforce, Australia, Canada, Continuity of Patient Care, Cultural Characteristics, Female, Health Services Accessibility, Health Services, Indigenous, Humans, Maternal Health Services, Midwifery, Pregnancy, Quality of Health Care, Qualitative Research, Parturition, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Cultural Competency

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